Love Beats Everything
by Unfourtanate
Summary: Drew and May journey to the Johto region to make new friends, unveil their pasts, and discover things they would rather keep undiscovered. Will their friendship survive the harsh truths of Johto? Final chapter has been posted.
1. Chapter 1 : A Fateful Encounter

Hello, citizens of ! Is it I, Unfourtanate! I am rewriting this entire story, y'see. My writing skills back in Ye Olden Times (2007) were horrendous. This is my little way of thanking you all for reviewing my little story! Thank you, everyone! Enjoy!  


* * *

"Oh, man... Ash!"

The blazing midday sun was hot on four youngsters' backs as they trudged their way through endless fields of dried-up grass and long-dead vegetation. It didn't really help that they were walking up a rather steep hill, and a long one at that. It was an uncomfortable journey, wading through scratchy plants that scraped against their sweaty calves, and the only thing that made them determined to keep walking was the fact that they would soon be back home, after months and months away from their families. The thought of their mothers' warm embrace was a pleasant one.

Of course, pleasant thoughts weren't enough to keep their bad tempers at bay.

"Ash!" repeated the youngest of the four. He was so hot that his glasses kept slipping down his sweaty nose. "Ash, we've been walking for hours now. I'm starving, and my legs are about to fall off my bottom." He paused for a moment, and then added, "Come to think of it, I'm so hungry, I would actually eat my own legs."

"You've been complaining since we started walking, Max," sighed his older sister. She straightened her red bandana. "We're only a few miles away from Petalburg City. We should be there by tonight, or tomorrow morning at the very latest."

Max scowled and kicked a stray tumbleweed, nearly knocking out a wild Nincada. "Why can't we have a break, then, May? It's not like we're in a massive rush." He turned to a taller boy with spiky black hair beside him. "Ash, can we have a break now? Before my legs commit suicide?"

The black-haired boy didn't seem to notice Max at all, for he was too busy staring at his complete set of Frontier badges. The way he was gazing at the badges was borderline unhealthy. He was so engrossed with them that he didn't notice his Pikachu fall from his shoulder and into the grass, fast asleep and completely exhausted.

Max's face reddened. "That's it!" he bellowed, making Pikachu jerk awake. He stormed over to Ash and snatched the set of badges out of his grip. "You've been in a stupid daydream ever since we left Kanto," he snapped, slapping away Ash's outstretched hands as he tried to get his badges back. "If we don't get a break soon, I will throw these badges over the nearest available cliff." He thrust the badges back into Ash's chest. "You have been warned."

"Calm down, Max," said Brock, the oldest of the four travellers. "I'm sure we can have a lunch break now –"

"No!" said Ash suddenly. "If I don't reach Rustboro City by tomorrow night –"

"We know, we know," grumbled Max. "Your girlfriend is visiting her friend there, and you want to show her your shiny little badges and travel with her back to Kanto."

"She's not my girlfriend," said Ash, huffing. "She's my best friend, and I just want to see her again. And I'm not going back to Kanto with her; I'm going straight to Sinnoh. She's _not _my girlfriend."

Max snorted. "Sure." He knelt down and picked the tired-looking Pikachu up and held him directly before Ash's face. "Look how exhausted Pikachu is! Look how exhausted we _all _are! We've been walking since four in the morning, Ash. I don't care what you say; I'm staying right here!"

And with that, Max planted his bottom on the ground and refused to walk any further, glaring up at Ash. Brock and May sighed simultaneously at the boys' immaturity.

"Max, stop being so being so childish," said May. She turned to Ash. "And you stop being so stubborn! From now on, I'm in charge, alright? We'll have a lunch break now – yes, Ash, a break – and then we'll keep walking until sunset. We'll rest up for the night, and we should only have a couple of miles to walk in the morning until we reach Petalburg City."

"Oh, and you expect Brock and I to reach Rustboro City in half a day?"

"If you cut through Petalburg Woods, it only takes you about two hours to get there," said May. She laughed at the surprised expression on Ash's face. "You'll reach Misty in no time. Don't worry; trust me, I know Hoenn way better than you do!"

A small smile appeared on Ash's face. "Sorry, guys," he said apologetically. "I guess I was just getting a bit worked up."

"A bit?" said Max incredulously. "Man, you were angrier than a Gyarados on a bad day!"

"Look who's talking!" said Ash. "You're as stubborn as my Aipom when she doesn't want to give me my hat back!"

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah!"

"These guys are insane," said Brock with a weak laugh. He turned to May. "I'll get some food down their throats so that they can't talk anymore."

"That'd be brilliant," said May gratefully, as Max and Ash's bickering grew louder. "These two are like an old married couple."

"We are not!" roared Ash and Max.

"Right, sure," said May, raising an eyebrow as the boys returned to their row. She looked up to the sky, shielding her eyes from the sun. "Man, not a single cloud to be seen. I guess we're gonna have to suffer without shade until the sun sets, huh. I wonder if we're close to the sea yet."

"I thought you knew Hoenn better than Ash and I?" laughed Brock from his little campfire, where he was busily cutting vegetables and a small chunk of meat. He nodded his head towards the top of the hill. "I guess you could run up there and find out. I bet you'll be able to see the sea from there!"

"Well, there's only one way to find out, eh?" grinned May, before rushing past the bickering boys, leaping over their rucksacks and pelting up the hill. The cool air felt good on her sweaty face as she ran freely, hopping over bushes and scaring away various Nincada. After a while, she slowed down to a steady jog, panting slightly as she reached the peak of the hill came closer.

She finally reached the top, and was greeted with a truly wondrous sight. In the distance, the Hoenn sea could be seen, rocking its vast body against Petalburg Beach. Just before the beach was Petalburg itself. The sight of her hometown at last made May smile. She laughed aloud and closed her eyes – she was nearly home!

A sudden cough made May open her eyes again. She looked around the hilltop, but there was no one in sight; it was absolutely deserted save for herself and a few stray Nincada. She stood still for a few moments, listening hard; but she heard nothing except for the continuous chirping of the Nincada. Just as she was beginning to think she had imagined the noise, May heard it again; a wheezy, slurping cough that sounded rather like vacuum cleaner sucking up goo, coming from the opposite side of the hill.

May watched as an elderly woman came into view, slowly making her way up the hill with her cane. As she came closer, May saw that the woman was wearing pure black robes, embroidered with silver. Her dark skin was creased and weathered like old leather, and her grey hair was pulled into a braid that wrapped around her head. She looked very exotic, and completely out of place on a dried-out hill in Hoenn.

"Hello," said May politely as the woman approached her. Her greeting caused the old woman to glance up at her. May was unnerved when the woman's eyes suddenly widened and stared at May. She crept closer and closer with her black cane – click, thud, click, thud – until she was standing right in front of May.

"May Maple, of Petalburg City." A smile crept onto her lined face. "You possess a strong vibe."

May was taken aback. Her eyebrows furrowed as she stared back at the old woman. "How do you know my name?" she said slowly, curious.

The woman flapped her hand impatiently. "Idle chit-chat, I care not!" She had a very strong accent when she spoke. She tapped her cane on the ground – click, thud. "I am Miwa, Miwa of Greatness. But call me Miwa, for I know already of my greatness. I am fortune teller, and I am on my way to Johto region."

"Erm, that's nice, but I –"

"Do not cut across my words!" said the old fortune teller, flapping her hand again. May fell silent again, absolutely petrified. "I speak words of importance. Many years I have travelled around the world. I have met hundreds of peoples, and I have felt each and every type of vibe that peoples have shown me. But you... you possess a strong vibe, May Maple. Indeed a strong one. Not as strong as my own, of course. I am greater than you, but we already know that." The woman suddenly waved her cane around, making May jump back. "Oh, oh, a great future for you is written in the stars! But," the woman's voice grew darker, "you won't ever reach your starry future unless you accept this fact, May Maple." Old Miwa leaned closer into May's face, and creaked, "You and your little rival are meant to be."

As May stood there in stunned silence, Miwa turned her back and tapped her cane impatiently. "Now, May Maple, tell me where is east. Ha! I kid; I am psychic, I know where east is." The old woman broke into wheezy laughter as she disappeared down the hill again, the noise of her clicking and thudding cane slowly fading into silence, leaving May standing on the hill by herself again.

What on earth had just happened? And what was that old woman going on about? Rival? Starry futures? East?

"Crazy," she muttered aloud, shaking her head in disbelief. "Absolutely nuts."

"No, no, I am psychic, fool. Crazy and psychic, two different things. Although it is probable that I am both, yes."

May almost shrieked as she turned to see the fortune teller standing right behind her. The old woman had crept up on her while she was deep in thought.

Miwa ignored May's obvious shock and twisted her cane in her claw-like fingers. "You are not bright girl, are you? You look bamboozled! Completely discombobulated by my words of greatness!" Miwa tapped her cane again on the dusty ground. "You and your rival must be together, succeed together and grow together if you wish to have predicted starry future! Green-haired boy!" she said suddenly, making May freeze.

Miwa closed her eyes as if in deep concentration. "Yes, I see him. Green hair like the grassy plains, with roses sprouting in their blades."

"Drew?" spluttered May. The woman was being far too precise; this was not idle guesswork.

"Of LaRousse!" exclaimed Miwa gleefully. "Coordinator. Wears purple. Bit of an asshole. Ah, yes... meet up with green-haired boy. Meet up with him soon. Good day, May Maple. I have train to catch."

And with that, the old fortune teller left yet again, leaving May standing on the hill feeling very confused and downright freaked out. She stared up the clear heavens.

"What the hell just happened?" She sighed and flopped down to the scratchy dry grass, completely bemused. "Well, let's get things into perspective; I just met an old lady who can predict the future. On a hill in the middle of nowhere. She then told me that she has travelled the world and wants me to be a star in the future, but I can only accomplish such a feat if Drew is by my side. Apparently, we're meant to be." May sat up and shook her head. "Okay, talking to yourself is the very first sign of insanity." She stared up again to the sky.

Perhaps it had all been a hallucination? After all, the sun was very hot and she hadn't had anything to drink for hours. Yes, it was definitely a hallucination. A very peculiar hallucination, caused by dehydration and lack of rest.

Feeling more confident that she wasn't going absolutely insane, May stood up and made her way back down the hill. As the smoke coming from Brock's fire came into view, May had to laugh at herself. What on earth would a foreign old fortune teller be doing on a random hill in Hoenn, dressed in all black? Ridiculous.

"You've been gone for quite a while," said Ash as May approached. He gulped down his stew and tossed a bottle of water to May. "You alright?" he added curiously. "You look a bit dazed."

"I'm hungry, that's all," said May, accepting the bowl Brock had just handed to her. She started to eat. "I saw the sea while I was up there; we're really close now!"

"That's good," smiled Brock, extinguishing the fire with his Ludicolo.

"By the way... err, did you see some old lady dressed in black come down here?"

Ash, Max and Brock stared curiously at May.

"No," said Ash slowly. He tossed his empty bowl to Ludicolo, who promptly began to wash it. "Why?"

"No reason, no reason," said May quickly. She gulped down the last of her stew and handed it back to Brock. "That was a great stew, Brock, really nice! Well, shall we get going?"

Again, the boys stared at May. "Are you sure you're alright, May?" asked Brock. "You're acting really weird."

"Nothing's changed, then," muttered Max, but he was silenced by Ash's glare. May shook her head and grinned.

"No, no, I'm absolutely fine! Let's get going now, huh?"

"May,you're acting really bizarre –"

"Oh, shut up and get moving, guys!" May leapt to her feet and pointed up to the horizon. "Petalburg City, here we come!"


	2. Chapter 2 : Max's Disappearance

The moonlight shone on May's tired face as she stumbled through a forest with her friends, fighting the urge to sleep. They were close to Petalburg City, but everyone was so exhausted, they were dead on their feet.

"May..." yawned Max, clutching his eldest sister's arm sleepily. "I know you really want to see Mom and Dad, but please, it's two in the morning..."

"We're only a mile away!" protested May, tugging Max's arm, although she was just as exhausted as he was.

"Won't your parents be in bed, though? Asleep?" said Brock hopefully, struggling to keep his eyes open. There was a sudden thump on the floor. May looked down and saw that Ash had collapsed onto the ground, snoring loudly alongside a rather stricken Pikachu.

"All right," she sighed, pushing Ash off her feet. "We'll go there tomorrow."

"Good..." said Max, and dropped on the grass, asleep before his head hit the ground.

Brock and May, too tired to laugh, tucked the slumbering boys into their sleeping bags.

"Goodnight, Max," whispered May, gently taking her sibling's glasses from his face. Brock settled into his sleeping bag, and immediately fell asleep without even bidding goodnight to the others.

May settled into her own sleeping bag, and wrapped her arms around her body, trying to keep warm in the chilly night air. She breathed out deeply, and looked up towards the sky, the stars reflecting in her sapphire eyes. She couldn't stop thinking about Madame Miwa, and what the old woman had said. Had she been telling the truth?

With a yawn, May pushed Madame Miwa out of her mind, and turned onto her side, closing her exhausted eyes, finally allowing sleep to take over.

--

Early the next morning, May and Max finally found themselves running down the street which led to their home, with Ash and Brock hurrying after them, laughing at May and Max's excitement. Turning around a corner, they finally saw their house, and their parents standing in the front door, beaming at their children.

"You're finally home!" exclaimed Caroline, the kids' mother, as Max and May caught glimpse of their parents. "We've missed you so much!"

"Mom! Dad!" cried May in joy, running down the garden path and into her mother's open arms. "I've missed you too!"

Max was embraced by his father, who buried his face deep in his son's hair.

"Welcome home, son," he said, pulling away from Max and smiling down at him. Max grinned eagerly.

"Dad, travelling with Ash and May and Brock was awesome!" he exclaimed, his young face flushed. "Can I start my own journey soon?"

Norman chuckled, and shook his head. "I know you're eleven now, Max, but I don't think you're ready to go by yourself."

Max was outraged. "But you said I could start my own journey when I was _ten! _And now you want to wait until I'm a teenager?!"

"We'll talk about it later," said Norman, obviously not wanting to start a row in front of his children's friends, who were staring at him in an odd manner.

Max, crestfallen, pushed past his parents, and made his way into the house, muttering that he was tired and wanted to sleep for a bit.

Staring after Max, Ash and Brock walked up to May, and Brock took her hand and squeezed it tightly.

"I'm gonna miss you and Max," he said, a sad smile on his dark face. "You were really good company."

Ash, his face emotionless, placed a hand on May's shoulder, and she turned to look at him. She saw that his eyes were shining, and tears were forming in the dark eyes. Before she could say anything, Ash pulled his hat over his eyes and smiled tearfully at his friend, before turning around sharply and speeding down the path and slamming the garden gate behind him.

"Ash doesn't do well with goodbyes," explained Brock lowly. He gave May a quick, one-armed hug, and ran off after Ash, who had now disappeared down the street. "I hope you can live without my cooking!" called Brock, before disappearing around the corner. May wiped her eyes and waved after him, and then turned into the house and entered with her mother and father, home at last.

--

"_I'll be going to the Johto... Solidad will be there too."_

"_Well, it's really pretty there right now..."_

May sat on the kitchen windowsill, swinging her legs as Max sat on the floor, fiddling with his PokeNav. She was thinking of the last time she'd seen Drew. It had been over two months ago. May and Max had been back home for three weeks now, and it was time for May to leave for her next destination.

"I'll be going to the Johto, I think," announced May, looking through the window, avoiding her brother's eyes. She knew what he was going to say.

"Can I come?" asked Max immediately, his face eager.

May stared down at her feet. "Max, I don't think you should come with me this time."

Max gaped at his sister, his eyes wide, before they fell to a glare.

"Okay, sure. I'm okay with that!" he said, his voice full of enraged sarcasm. Suddenly, his face crumpled as tears cascaded down his face.

"Max, I'm so sorry, I just think I should go on my own..."

"Shut up, May!" shrieked Max, pushing his sister away from him. He sprang onto his feet and rushed upstairs, tears falling behind him as he slammed his bedroom door. May ran to the stairs after him, calling his name, but had to give up. Max was clearly upset.

"Well, well! Long time, no see, huh, May?"

The familiar voice caused May to freeze in her footsteps as she re-entered the kitchen. That voice... She turned slowly to face the window, her eyes wide in surprise.

Standing outside the open window was Drew, his face carrying its usual smirk, his emerald eyes glinting in the autumn sun. He had grown noticeably taller, but his frame was as slim as ever as he leaned against the window, casually and airily.

"Drew!" exclaimed May, rushing to the window and staring at him, gobsmacked. "What're you doing here?"

Drew flicked his trademark green hair, the smirk still on his face. "Came to visit you," he said loftily, setting his green eyes on May's. She frowned.

"But why the heck are you standing outside the kitchen window?"

"Hey, I was fascinated by Max's angry voice," explained Drew lazily, sitting on the windowsill and swinging his legs inside the house. "What did you do to him, anyway? Sounded like you'd stabbed him with a fork to me."

"I'm going to the Johto without him," said May, her eyes falling to the floor. "He wasn't... very happy."

"He must've been crying tears of joy," said Drew airily, jumping out of the window again in his fidgety manner. "I mean, who in their right mind would want to travel with you?"

"It's not funny!" said May, her voice suddenly shrill and sharp. "My brother's upset, and you just stand there, smirking!"

Before Drew could do or say anything, May shoved him hard, and slammed the window in his face, causing the edges of the glass to crack slightly by her angry force. Without a backward glance, May rushed out of the kitchen and disappeared up the stairs, pounding her feet angrily.

Drew was dumbstruck. At first he felt enraged with May, but then he felt annoyed with himself, and felt like kicking himself in the backside.

'Why do I have to be such a jerk around people?' he thought, looking up to the clear sky. 'Especially May.'

Irritated, he kicked a stone as he made his way back up the garden path and hopped over the low rocky wall.

"Roselia? "

Drew looked down at his petite Roselia, who'd been sitting on the garden wall, waiting patiently for her Master. He sighed, looking away from the small Pokemon.

"I'm fine, Roselia," he said lowly, walking away. Roselia hopped off the wall and hurried after him.

'There's definitely something the matter!' thought Roselia to herself, scowling. She looked up at her master, and sighed.

'Humans!'

--

After hours of sitting on her bed, verbally abusing Drew in her mind, May left her bedroom and made her way to Max's. He had been in his room all day, and she was getting worried now. May could hear her parents arriving home from the grocery store, chatting to each other. May sighed deeply, and knocked on Max's door.

"Max? You there?" she asked softly. There was no reply from the room, so May turned the handle and let herself in. Much to her surprise, the room was empty. With growing horror, May saw that the window swinging open, its curtains swaying lightly in the outside breeze.

"No!" exclaimed May, running to the window and staring through it. A rope had been tied to the desk, and was dangling downwards, out of the window. A note was lying on the bed. With trembling hands, May opened it and read it.

_Mom, Dad, and May._

_I'm sorry for this, but I'm going to start my own journey. You can't stop me, Dad. I'm going to the Sinnoh region, and I've borrowed your Slaking, Dad. Mom, I sort of stole some food and money... You can ground me when I get back home, alright? I'll be back after I win the Sinnoh League! You can yell at me all you want afterwards. May, I hope you win the Johto Grand Festival! I'll be supporting you all the way. I wish I could be with you, but it's time for me to go my own way and become a Master. Don't worry, Mom, I won't talk to strangers!_

_Love you all._

_Max._

May fell onto her knees, her whole body shaking uncontrollably as she re-read the letter again and again until her eyes began to sting with tears. Max was... gone. He was her baby brother, and although she was reluctant to admit it, he was one of her best friends, and she loved him dearly.

"May! Max! Dinner's ready!" came Caroline's voice from downstairs. Slowly and shakily, May dragged herself to her feet and left her brother's bedroom, his note still clutched tightly in her hand. She made her way downstairs and to the kitchen, where her mother stood, drying her hands on a towel.

"May, what's wrong?" asked Caroline, frowning in worry when she saw her daughter's red eyes and pale skin.

Breaking into fresh tears, May ran into her mother's arms, crying loudly.

"Max's gone, Mom! He's gone!"

--

Outside the Maple household stood Drew, leaning against the front door, breathing deeply to calm himself. He was holding a single red rose in his hand.

'All right, Drew,' he thought, looking down at the rose. 'You have to apologize.'

It was a strange thing to think about. An apology. Saying sorry. It just didn't seem normal for him, and it was most certainly an alien thing for him to do. He sighed, and turned to the door.

He raised his fist and was just going to knock it against the wooden door when he heard May's voice from inside the house.

"It's my fault, Mom! I should've let him come!"

"There, there, May. It's alright," came Caroline's soothing voice, comforting her distraught daughter.

Although Drew didn't know what, exactly, was wrong with May, he knew it wasn't the time to find out. He shuffled his feet awkwardly on the ground.

'I'll come back later...' he thought, and stuffed the rose back into his pocket. 'When May isn't being a crybaby.'

--

Over the next few days, May wept until she had run out of tears. Now, she simply locked herself in her bedroom, refusing to talk to her parents or even eat her meals.

"She hasn't eaten in days, Norman," said Caroline worriedly, as she returned from May's bedroom with an untouched bowl of soup. She placed it on the sink sideboard. "Is she really missing Max that much?"

"Yes," said Norman softly, pushing away his half-eaten meal. He, too, was having difficulty eating after the disappearance of Max. "I miss him too. I hope to God that he's alright. But May's been hit hard... she thinks this is all her fault.

"Yes, but-!"

Caroline was silenced by a sudden swoosh-like noise that came from the hallway. Approaching the front door, she saw a small, white note, folded over awkwardly on the carpet. Caroline picked it up.

"It's for May," she muttered to Norman as he entered the hallway. She went to the stairs, and called up, "May! There's a letter here for you, honey!"

"Caroline, I have to go and close the gym," said Norman, hugging his wife briefly. "I'll be back soon!"

May came walking downstairs just as her father left through the front door. Her eyes blank and emotionless, and her face was as pale as the note in her mother's hand.

"Is it from Max?" she asked, looking at the bunched-up letter.

"I don't think so. It doesn't look like his hand-writing," said Caroline, handing May the letter. May tore it open, and pulled out the letter. She read it so quickly that her eyes seemed blurred.

_May,_

_I guess I should apologise. I really shouldn't have laughed, I guess. It _was_ funny, though. Anyway, I was going to apologise to you in person, but I haven't seen you around the city lately. I tried coming to your house, but I heard you crying. Did I upset you? Oh, come on, May, I was just kidding! I'm sure you and Max will be friends again in no time._

_So, I was wondering... How about we meet up in the park and train together tomorrow? I'm staying in the Pokemon Centre. Meet me after lunch?_

_Drew. _

Drew had thought she'd been crying over him! She nearly laughed. She re-read the letter, and clenched her fist tight. By doing so, she felt something prick her finger.

"Ouch!" she yelped, but her cry went unheard, because Caroline had left the room. Sucking her finger, May flipped over the letter, and saw a single red rose taped to the back of the letter: a sign of Drew's sincere apology. A smile crept over her face. It was her first true smile in days. Caroline walked into the hallway and grinned.

"Hey, you're smiling!" she exclaimed, peeking over May's shoulder to look at the letter. "Who's it from?"

But May didn't reply. Instead, she ran upstairs, a grin still on her face as she hummed.

'What a strange family I have...' thought Caroline with a raised eyebrow.

--

Wiping soaked leaves from his face, Drew turned to glare at his Flygon, who was gliding around his head. He had been in the park for two hours, training his playful Flygon while waiting to see if May was going to turn up.

"Flygon, don't aim your Whirlwind at me!" he groaned, picking a soggy leaf out of his sleeve and throwing it onto the grassy ground.

"Fly Fly Flygon!" (Sorry, Drew, I was aiming for the tree!)

"Well, aim harder!"

As Drew continued to pick twigs out of his hair, Flygon practiced his attacks on the poor innocent tree, which was looking as if it was going to collapse onto the ground any minute.

"Hey, your Flygon looks great," said a soft voice behind him. Turning around, Drew found May standing behind him, a smile on her face.

"May! So, you decided to come!" exclaimed Drew, still brushing leaves off his shirt. He was stricken to find a stick halfway down his pants.

'How did that get there?' he wondered to himself, throwing the stick away with a bemused frown.

"Yeah, I came to train my Pokemon!" said May, throwing her Pokeballs into the air with a cheerful laugh,

Blaziken, Bulbasaur, Squirtle, Skitty, Eevee and Munchlax appeared after a blinding red light, squealing and chattering to each other.

"Blaze! Blaziken!" (Yay, we can play at last!)

"Skit Skit Skitty Skit!" (We've been cooped up for so long!)

May laughed as her Pokemon ran off to play. Flygon looked longingly after them, his eyes sparkling.

"All right," sighed Drew, giving in. "You can go and play too."

Flygon fluttered his wings in delight, and flew off to join the rest, who were playing with Bulbasaur's vines, apparently using them as skipping ropes.

"So, where's your Roselia and the rest?" asked May, settling down on the soft grass and crossing her legs.

"They're in their Pokeballs, resting. I was training with them earlier," he replied, also flopping down on the grass. His hair fell into his eyes, so he flicked it away with his fingers.

"Oh," said May, struggling to think of something to say. "Are you going to the Johto?"

"Yeah. I heard there are good contests there," he said, sitting up. He turned to look at May, his emerald eyes piercing May's. "Hey, May, I've been meaning to ask you something."

May looked up at him. "Oh?"

"Well, would you like to travel with me in the Johto?" he said. He then added, hastily, "I mean, you'd probably get lost by yourself!"

Usually, May would've fired verbal abuse at Drew and probably injured him physically in some way after hearing him insult her, but this time, she simply stared at the grass, her eyes sad.

"Drew, I would, but..."

"But you're still sad about Max," finished Drew for her, his voice sympathetic. May looked up at Drew, who, for once, wasn't smirking, and gave him a weak smile.

"How did you find out?" she asked.

"I went to your Dad's gym yesterday, just after sending you that note," explained Drew, brushing his fingers through the dewy grass. "He told me the whole story." He turned to May. "So I guess you won't be coming?"

"I'll think about it," promised May softly, and got to her feet, calling her Pokemon. Both Drew and May had completely forgotten about their plans to train together. May made her way out of the park, her faithful team following behind her, looking disappointed because their playtime had ended so suddenly.

"Same place, same time!" called Drew after her. He watched as her long, chocolate hair disappeared into the distance, and sighed miserably.

Unbeknown to the young Coordinators, someone had been watching them from the trees, his face contorted into a twisted grin as he stalked away, humming eerily to himself.


	3. Chapter 3 : Journey To Johto

May kept tossing and turning in her bed. Should she go to the Johto with Drew? It makes her feel bad... Then again, her parents don't really mind. But what if Max feels like Drew is replacing him?

May fell into an uneasy sleep. On the other side of town, Drew was sitting in the PokeCentre. There weren't any rooms left for him, so he tried his best to sleep in the Waiting Room. He used his Absol as a pillow. Suddenly, Drew heard a crash outside.

"Absol?" whispered Drew, nudging Absol. "Hey, Absol! Get up!"

Absol shook its head, and flicked it's tail in Drew's face.

"Absol. Abs Absol." (Go away. I'm sleeping.)

Drew pushed Absol off the chair. "Absol, get up now! There's someone trying to get into the PokeCentre!"

"Absol." (Oh.)

Absol continued to flick its tail in Drew's face.

"Fine!" hissed Drew, and he ventured out to the window by himself. A tall, dark shadow was whacking the door angrily with his fists.

"Let me _in!"_ yelled the shadow, continuing to pound the door. Nurse Joy ran into the room.

"What's all this noise?" she asked, looking around.

"Someone's trying to come in" answered Drew, pointing at the door. Nurse Joy opened it cautiously.

"H-hello?"

"Hun!" said a fruity voice. "May I please come in?"

'Familiar voice...' thought Drew.

The tall dark figure rushed pass Nurse Joy, but it was no longer a shadow in the light of the PokeCentre.

"_Drew_! Is that you?" said the fruity voice, pretending to be surprised to see Drew. The voice belonged to a tall young man with long, cascading purple hair. He was wearing a Cacturne outfit.

"Harley?!" said Drew in shock.

"Yeah, me, hun!" he said. "Look, when are you going to the Johto?"

"None of your business! Jeesh!" said Drew, folding his arms.

"Are you going with a friend?" asked Harley.

"Yea- wait! How did you know I'm going with a friend?!"

Harley tapped his nose. "I know everything, hun!"

'That guy freaks me out...' thought Drew.

"I'm going to the Johto tomorrow! Ta-ta, see you soon!"

Harley waved his long, manicured fingers, and swayed out of the PokeCentre.

'He's up to something...' thought Drew, eyeing Harley.

-----

May got up from bed, and yawned. She'd made her decision. She was going to the Johto with Drew.

'Why shouldn't I? Max is on a journey, so I will go on one too!'

May put on her bandana, and bounded downstairs to the kitchen.

"Mom?" she called. "I'm going to the Johto with Drew"

Caroline smiled at her daughter. "I knew you would!"

May laughed, and forgot to eat her breakfast. She ran out of the house with her pokeballs, and Eevee running by her side.

"Eve... Eve... Eevee!" (Pant... Pant... May, stop _running_! I'm tired!)

May slowed down to a walk. "Sorry, Eevee, I was just so excited to tell Drew that I'm coming with him!"

"Eve." (Ah. Dreeew.)

May looked sharply at her Eevee. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Eve Eve!" (Well, you're a bit fond of Drew...)

"No, I'm not!" replied May, clenching her fists. "I'm just excited to go to a new region, that's all!)

"Eve Eve." (Whatever.)

-----

"Flygon!" yelled Drew desperately. "Will you try and aim at something other than me?!"

"Fly Fly!" (Sorry!)

Flygon tried another whirlwind, but Drew ended up covered in leaves.

"All right, Flygon. Return" sighed Drew, and returned Flygon so it's pokeball.

He flopped down on the grass, gazing at the clouds. Where's May? She should be here by now...

"Hey, Drew!" he heard a voice behind him. He whipped around, and saw May running towards him.

"Drew, I'm coming with you!" she said excitedly, plopping herself beside Drew.

"Oh, goody" said Drew sarcastically. "I'm going to look after you and my pokemon."

"I can look after myself, thanks!" said May, fuming. "And you're the one that asked me!"

Eevee caught up with May.

"Eve!" (Whew, I got here!)

Eevee peered around anxiously at May's face.

"Eve Eevee?" (What's going on?)

"Nothing, Eevee" said May, unfolding her arms. "We were just being silly"

"_You're_ the one that was being silly..." muttered Drew.

Eevee whacked Drew on the head. May burst out laughing.

"I guess Eevee thought you deserved it!" she said happily.

Drew rubbed his painful lump. "That's one crazy Eevee"

"Eve Eve?!" (Yah want another lump on your big head?! **COME HERE!**)

May quickly returned the angered Eevee to its pokeball.

"Sorry, Eevee's a bit grumpy" apologized May.

"Owners and pokemon alike..." muttered Drew under his breath. He got up.

"So, you coming?"

May blinked blankly. "To where?"

"The Johto, duh!" said Drew mockingly. He swiftly flicked his hair. "The ferry to the Johto is leaving this afternoon!"

"Whah??" said May, surprised. "That soon?"

"Yeah, so come on, let's get a move on!" said Drew, dragging May up.

"B-but... what about my parents?" she asked timidly.

"We'll call them on the ferry. Come ON!" said Drew, and he lead May to the docks.

When they got there, the ferry had already got there, so they both paid for tickets, and hopped on.

"Oooh!" gushed May. "This ferry is so nice!"

Drew ignored her while she ran around, pointing at everything. Eventually, she got bored and hungry.

"Hey, there's a buffet down there" said Drew, pointing down the hall. "We'll get something to eat there."

May had already zoomed off to the buffet table. She piled her plate high, while Drew stared at her.

"What?" questioned May, as she stuffed her face with sandwiches.

"No one's gonna steal you food from you!" exclaimed Drew, snatching a sandwich from her plate. "Slow down!"

May continued to eat, when she stopped quickly.

"Ooh, look! They're making PokeBlock sandwhiches! Munchlax would love those!"

She leaned over her table to open her bag. Thing is, Munchlax's pokeball wasn't there. Her whole_ bag _wasn't there.

"Drew! I've lost my bag!" cried May. Drew looked up from his plate.

"What? You must've left it at the park, genius!" he said, getting up. He looked out of the window.

"What am I going to do?!" asked May, tears welling up in her eyes.

"I know!" said Drew, and he threw a pokeball. Flygon emerged from it.

"Flygon!" (Howdy!)

"Flygon, I need you to fly back to the park"

"Fly?" (To practice my whirlwind?)

"No!" sighed Drew. "I need you to find May's bag. She lost it."

"Flygon Fly!'' (I'm on it!)

Flygon zoomed out of a window, and disappeared into the distance. Drew sat down again.

"Flygon will get them for you, don't worry" he said, returning to his eating.

"I hope so..." whispered May, gazing out of the window.

Hours passed, but there was still no sign of Flygon. Drew and May got out onto the deck to wait for a while.

In the distance, May saw a tiny green speckle.

"Drew, it's Flygon!" she exclaimed, grinning.

Drew jumped up from his deck chair, and ran to the rails where May was leaning. Flygon was coming nearer and nearer.

Drew could hear a faint tapping sound, so he turned to see what it was. He saw a Cacturne hitting the rails he and May was leaning on. The Cacturne was whacking the rails very hard. The rails started to creak, but May didn't notice. She was still excited about her pokeballs.

Behind the Cacturne was a tall figure wearing bright green clothes. He was cheering the Cacturne on.

"Go on, hun! Hit those rails hard!" said the figure in a fruity voice.

"Harley!" said Drew in shock.

Drew jumped off the rails, and when he did so, the rails collapsed.

May screamed as she fell into the icy water.

"May!" yelled Drew. He leaned over the deck, trying to see May. She was struggling to keep afloat.

A large wave hit the ferry, and the deck rocked roughly. Drew slipped off the side, and landed in the cold sea.

Both Drew and May splashed around for a moment, then regained balance in the water.

"Are you ok?" asked Drew, holding May's arm in case she went under water.

"I think so, but the ferry is gone!" she cried. Drew turned around, and saw that she was telling the truth.

"Don't worry" he said, trying to remain calm.

'How can I be calm in the middle of the sea!?' he asked himself.

Suddenly, a green blur rushed pass them and grabbed Drew and May. It hoisted them up, and zoomed towards the ferry. The blur dropped them on the deck.

Drew looked up, and saw it was Flygon, grabbing a bag in its mouth.

"Flygon! Thanks!" said Drew, very thankful.

"Flygon, you saved us _and_ got my pokeballs! Thank you!" said May, and she hugged Flygon around the neck. Flygon dropped the bag in May's arms.

May opened the bag, and saw that all her pokeballs were there.

"Yipee! Thanks again, Flygon!" she gushed.

"Flygon, you must be tired" said Drew, patting Flygon. "Return!"

Flygon evaporated into the pokeball.

"So, how long does this ferry ride last?" asked May as they returned inside.

"Tomorrow morning, I think" replied Drew, checking his ticket. "There's a contest starting next week in Cherrygrove, and that's where the ferry will be dropping us off."

May squealed in excitement. "Yipee!"

They went into their separate rooms. May wanted a hot bath, but there weren't any baths or showers, so she changed into dry clothes. She settled down on her bed to think about Johto, when Drew came barging in.

"Don't you knock?" asked May, annoyed.

"Nope" replied Drew, flicking his hair. "There's a Pokemon party, so I thought my pokemon and your pokemon could go there to have some fun.

May calmed down. "Yeah, the pokemon would like that!"

She got up from her bed, and gathered her pokeballs. Both she and Drew went down some stairs, and found themselves in a big room full of dancing pokemon.

"Pokemon, I choose you!" yelled May, and threw out her pokeballs. They all appeared out of nowhere.

"Beauti!" (Ooh, let's dance!)

"Skit Skitty!" (The lights are pretty!)

"Munch! Munch!" (Who cares about the lights? Free food!)

May's pokemon were joined by Drew's pokemon. May and Drew crept upstairs, unnoticed by their pokemon.

"Is it dinnertime yet?" asked May eagerly, rubbing her stomach.

"Yeah, I think so" said Drew, checking his watch. "I don't know how you can eat so much, May!" he sneered.

"A girl's got to eat!" replied May, skipping to the buffet.

She came back again with her plate piled high as usual. Drew didn't bother getting his own food, so he stole some food off May.

"Hey!" said May through a mouthful of mashed potato. "Get your hands off my food!"

Drew smirked. "Aww, have I upset the great May?" he mocked.

"Stop being so mean, Drew!"

"I'm not. You just need to learn to share."

May snatched her plate away from Drew, and got up to eat at another table. She sat down as far as possible as Drew.

"Drew..." she mumbled angrily into her gravy.

"May..." muttered Drew, irritated, into his lemonade.

At the other side of the room, Harley was laughing.

"Hah! So my little 'push-May-off-deck-and-hopefully-she'll-drown' plan didn't work, but at least they're not talking now!" squealed Harley in delight. "Without those twerps being friendly to each other, I can win the first contest! Yay!"

Harley danced happily to himself, with many people staring at him.


	4. Chapter 4 : The Thorn In The Rose

* * *

Took forever to write this... Blee... Sadly, it's still rubbish xP Ah well!

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon!? Noo! My whole world came crashing down!

... and it squashed my Beanie Baby collection! Wah.

* * *

"Stupid Drew..." mumbled May, stabbing her lamb chop. "Trying to be mean to me..."

After murdering her meat repeatedly, May got up and left the room, trying not to look at Drew. But, she didn't have to try very hard, because Drew had disappeared.

"Good!" said May to herself, walking down the corridor.

"Munchlax!" (Wheeew, that was a GREAT party!)

May's pokemon emerged from around the corner, all of them except Eevee covered in peanut-butter.

"Bulba..." (Don't ask.)

May laughed, and gathered all of her pokemon. She decided that they could sleep in her room, instead of their pokeballs.

"Skitty Skit!" (Good, I need a nap badly!)

"Beauti!" (That party pooped me out!)

They all crowded into May's room, and found somewhere to sleep. Eevee, Skitty and Bulbasaur were under the bed, snoring. Squirtle was fast asleep in one of the drawers. Beauti was napping on top of a wardrobe, and Munchlax was dozing on May's bed.

"Munchlax, budge!" said May, nudging Munchlax. "I want to sleep there!"

Reluctantly, Munchlax rolled off May's bed and stumbled to a corner of the room. Something was stuck to it's back.

"Munchlax!" laughed May. "Something's stuck to your peanut butter-covered body!"

She moved closer to Munchlax, and saw that the 'something' was a flower. A rose.

May peeled the sticky rose off Munchlax's back, and saw there was a tiny card stuck to it. She opened it, and read it.

_Not my fault._

May was ready to strangle Drew. Firstly, he'd snuck into her room. Secondly, he'd said that it was her fault that he was mean!

May ripped the card into shreds, and threw it into the bin. Munchlax immediately ate the ripped note, and fell asleep in the trash.

May clenched her fists. Drew was going to pay!

-----

Across the hall to May was Drew's room. He, also, was very annoyed with May.

"I was only kidding!" he said angrily to Roselia. "Can't she take a joke?"

Roselia nodded sympathetically.

"Rose. Rose Lia?" (I know. It is strange though.)

Drew tossed his Roselia a sharp look. "What do you mean, strange?"

"Rose, Lia Lia Roselia Rose! Lia!" (Well, you were acting nicely around each other, especially after the encounter with the sea. What happened then?)

Drew sighed. "I just teased her a little."

"Rose! Rose Lia! Roselia." (You shouldn't have teased her when she was in shock. After all, she'd just fallen into the sea!)

"I got knocked off the ferry too, though."

"Rose, Rose Lia! Roselia Rose." (Yes, but May is... well, how do I describe her? More fragile than you? Anyhoo, she's sort of weaker than you, and it made her feel a bit pathetic being saved by you and Flygon. You teasing her made her feel worse. What did you say, anyway?"

Drew flicked his hair. "I only said "Aww, have I upset you?" or something along those lines."

Roselia jumped up at Drew, waving her roses.

"Rose! Roselia!" (Exactly! You shouldn't have said that, because she was already upset!)

"How was I-?" Drew began, but the door had burst open. May came barging into the room.

"Think your little rose was funny, hm?" she fumed.

"What? I didn't give you a rose!" retorted Drew, very baffled.

"Oh, so the rose just happened to be there right after we had a quarrel?" growled May, looking ready to attack.

"I told you, I didn't give you a rose!" replied Drew, annoyed, but still confused. "If you don't mind, I'd like to go to sleep!"

May started to leave the room, but turned around at the doorway.

"Oh, I forgot to mention. I'm not travelling with you."

She slammed the door behind her, and marched back to the room. Something that seemed like a purple-haired Cacturne was watching her.

"Ooh, goodie!" said Harley in delight. "They hate each other now! Yay!"

He did a little celebration dance.

"With Drew and May so angry, I'll beat the twerps easily in the contests! Yipee!"

-----

Eevee shuffled around under the bed. What was that sniffing noise? Pushing a dozing Bulbasaur out of the way ("Bulba!" (Hey, I'm nappin'!)), Eevee poked it's nose from under the bed, looking around.

May was on her knees, her hands over her face. The sniffing noises were coming from her.

"Eevee?" (What's wrong, May?)

Eevee climbed onto May's lap, but May pushed Eevee off again.

"Go away, Eevee. I'm not in the mood."

Eevee wouldn't give up easily.

"Eevee Eve!" (Come on, Grumpy! Tell me!)

May remained silent, except for her muffled sobs.

"Eve?" (Is it about Drew?)

May nodded slowly, her hands still covering her face.

"Eve Eve?" (Is it about that rose?)

"H-how did you know?" whispered May, wiping her eyes.

"Eve Eevee!" (I could hear you across the hall. I'm a light sleeper!)

"Drew is a &£$&, and I won't forgive him!" swore May.

"Eve Eve Eevee!" (Language! Anyway, I don't think the rose came from Drew.)

"What? Who else then?" asked May huffily.

"Eve Eevee, Eve Eve Eve Eevee. Eve Eeve, Eevee!" (Well, as you can see, I'm the only one not covered in peanut-butter. Bulbasaur had, err, 'fun' throwing peanut-butter at us all, so I went back here to lick myself clean before going back to the party. I was under the bed when I was doing this.)

"Continue" nodded May.

"Eve Eve Eve, Eevee. Eve." (The door opened, and a really tall Cacturne walked in, carrying a rose.)

"A Cacturne?"

"Eve!" (Yeah, with purple hair!)

"Harley!" growled May.

"Eve Eve, Eevee Eevee Eve Eve." (Anyhoo, the Cacturne thingie put the rose on the bed, and did this weird little tap dance. That down right freaked me out! Then, it left.)

"Harley... set us up?" said May, gasping. "How could he get so low? Wait! Harley was behind Drew and me on the deck, I'm sure of it! Could it have been his fault about the rails?"

"Eve!" (Could be, the &$£!!)

May ignored Eevee's swearing. She thought hard then gasped.

"Drew! Damnit, I blamed him!" she said, smacking her forhead. "I have to apologize!"

May sprang up from the bed, and ran out of the room, with Eevee bounding behind her.

"Drew?" she said softly, knocking on the door gently. "Are you awake?"

There was no reply, but May continued anyway.

"Drew, I want to say I'm sorry. I shouldn't have blamed you. I know it wasn't you now. Apparently it was Harley, and I feel awful for putting the blame on you. Please forgive me."

The room remained silent. May sighed, and went back to her room, with Eevee following at her heels.

Behind Drew's door, Roselia had heard the whole thing, and stabbed Drew hard with her rose thorns to wake him up.

"Ouch!" yelled Drew, rubbing his arm.

"Ros Ros!" (I have something to tell you!)

Drew sat up. "What?")

Roselia started to explain what she had heard from May, with Drew listening carefully.

-----

"So..." said Drew slowly. "Harley tried to set us up?"

Roselia nodded. Drew clenched his fists, annoyed.

"That guy will do anything to win!" he said through clenched fists. "The nerve!"

He ran his fingers through his hair, frustrated. Roselia had retreated to the corner of the room, and she was now sleeping. Drew felt a bit guilty, letting Roselia out of her pokeball while the rest were cooped up, so he released them out of their pokeballs.

"Masquerain?" (Huh?)

"You can all sleep here for the night."

"Butter!" (Yipee!)

The pokemon all settled into various sleeping positions. Flygon, who was larger than the rest of the pokemon, slept with it's head under the bed, and it's body sticking out. Drew chuckled at his Flygon. He then yawned, and settled to sleep.

-----

May got up, feeling sad. She struggled to remember why she was feeling so upset. She saw a shred of the note that Munchlax hadn't eaten yet, and remembered.

"Damn Harley!" she muttered to herself as she changed into her clothes.

"I wonder what time it is?" asked May to herself. Her stomach gave a rumble in reply.

"Breakfast!" she laughed.

"Eve?" (Are there any PokeFood?)

May turned around and saw her pokemon peering up at her.

"Yeah, I think there's PokeBlocks!"

The pokemon squealed in delight, and they scampered down the corridor.

"Wait!" called May, running after them. "You could get lost!"

She ran into the dining area, and banged into something.

"Oww..." she moaned, rubbing her head. She stood up.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" apologized May, and then she looked up at the person she'd whacked.

It was Drew.

"Lost your pokemon?" he sneered.

May folded her arms.

"Well, they're eating over there, with my pokemon" continued Drew, pointing behind him.

The pokemon were happily stuffing their faces. May's pokemon were still covered in peanut-butter.

"Thank goodness!" sighed May in relief. "I was scared they'd get lost!"

Drew flicked his hair, and turned his back on May.

"Drew, meverrysorryfohblayhoo!" said May, very quickly.

Drew turned back to May, looking amused at May's blabbering.

"Drew, I'm very sorry that I blamed you" repeated May slowly.

Drew swiftly flicked his hair.

"It's okay" he said. "But next time, try not to yell."

May blushed lightly. "Sorry..."

Drew produced a beautiful rose from his pocket. "Here's a rose that's actually from me."

May blushed even more as she accepted the rose.

The rose smelled so heavenly, as if it had been created in a field full of perfume and candy and donuts...

Drew and May sat down at the table next to the hungry pokemon. May kept sneaking glances at the buffet table, looking hopeful. Drew saw her looking.

"Go on then" he sighed. "Actually, I think I'll join you."

May squealed in delight. They both picked up a tray. May, of course, built a hill out of food. Drew, who doesn't usually eat much, only had a bowl of cereal and some toast.

Drew was only half way through his first toast when May sprang up again.

"Where are you going?" asked Drew through a mouthful of toast.

"To get some seconds!" replied May, and zoomed to the buffet table. She returned with an even bigger mountain of food.

"How do you eat so much?" asked Drew in bewilderment.

"I'm just simply hungry!" replied May, munching through some cereal.

Eventually, after May had finished her fourth helping, they returned their pokemon to their pokeballs.

Feeling bored, Drew and May went out onto the deck to pass the time until they reached Cherrygrove. The deck was quite empty, because it was still early in the morning. A Ninetails and a Arcanine were lying lazily on the floor, watching their young Growlithe and Vulpix play with each other. The Fire Pokemon family didn't seem to have a master.

"Hey, I can see land!" squealed May, jumping up and down. Just as May said that, a loud voice echoed across the ferry.

"Good morning, passengers. We will be arriving in Cherrygrove in an hour. Please make sure you do not leave any belongings on the ferry, and that all pokemon are safely in their pokeballs. Also, make sure you do not go to the East Deck. The railings have been broken, and it is too dangerous to go there. Repairmen are fixing it now, so it will be fixed by tomorrow. Thank you."

Drew turned to face May, and they both laughed.

"Should we tell the Captain that it was Harley that broke the railings?" asked May.

"No" said Drew thoughtfully. "Harley would wriggle himself out of trouble. There's no point."

May nodded in agreement. She stared at the ocean, gazing into its depths, when she suddenly saw a shadow.

"Drew, look!" called May, pointing at a Tentacruel that had emerged from the sea. "Isn't it sweet?"

Drew backed away from the Tentacruel. "Sweet!?"

The Tentacruel reached out a tentacle at May. May tickled it.

"Aww, it likes me!"

She continued to play with the Tentacruel, while Drew retreated to the other side of the deck.

He went back to his room, making sure all of his things were packed into his bag. While he was checking, May ran into his room.

"Drew! Guess what?" she said happily.

"What?" he asked cautiously, but he knew what it was.

"I caught the Tentacruel!" she yelled excitedly. "Look!"

May showed Drew the pokeball.

"Oh, great. More pokemon to beat me up!" muttered Drew.

"What do you mean?" asked May, pocketing Tentacruel's pokeball.

"Nothing, nothing..." said Drew. "C'mon, I can feel the ferry slowing down."

May didn't move.

"My pokemon wouldn't beat you up!" she scowled.

"What about your Eevee?" he said. "I still have the lump it gave me!"

May laughed. "Oh, yeah! I forgot about that!"

Drew frowned at her.

"Sorry. So, how's your head?" asked May, trying to hide her grin.

Drew sighed and lead her out of the room.

"The ferry has now reached Cherrygrove. Will everyone please go out onto the deck to leave the ferry. Thank you."

May clapped her hands happily.

"Yay! Johto!" she squealed, and she ran out to the deck, dragging Drew with her.

"May!" panted Drew, after running after her. "The contest doesn't start until next week. Calm down!"

May wouldn't calm down. When the ferry stopped, she skipped off it, humming happily.

The Ninetails and Arcanine that were on the deck earlier were now wearing little black caps. May noticed that they must be guard pokemon, making sure that everyone is behaving. The Vulpix and the Growlithe weren't there.

May continued to hop around, pleased that she was in the Johto. She must've been blinded by joy, because she banged straight into a pole. May was so dazed that she actually apologized to the pole. Drew mocked her as he helped May back on her feet. May, who usually hates being mocked, laughed.

"Ugh" said Harley to himself, who was walking behind them. "I can't believe they're actually travelling together."

Harley shot a nasty look at May.

"Those twerps are going to wish they were never born!" he said, laughing manically. A woman walking by Harley clutched her handbag protectively, and scurried away quickly.

"I need to practice my laugh..." muttered Harley to himself.

* * *

I hope you liked this chapter! I'm still depressed about the world squashing my Beanie Baby collection! The nerve of it! Anyhoo, if you're wondering why I'm writing fanfictions at the moment, it because I've hurt my big toe. Yes. As weird as it sounds, I have. Note To Self: Never take your big toe for granted. xP

* * *


	5. Chapter 5 : Friendship

* * *

I was at a Chinese restraunt, and I got a fortune cookie. I cracked it open, and the piece of paper said "You do not own Pokemon.". I'm suing the restraunt.

* * *

Cherrygrove City was heaven compared to Petalburg. The buildings were small, cosy bungalows, and there were fields everywhere, perfect for training pokemon. Small lakes were scattered around the outskirts, some of them frozen. A Surskit or two were skating around happily.

"This place is so perfect!" breathed May. "But it's a pity it's so cold!"

May covered her bare arms with her arms. Her breath was turned into a mist before her eyes.

"The Johto's much colder than Kanto and Hoenn" explained Drew, who'd taken off his jacket. He wrapped it around May's arms. "There, you should feel better now."

May felt so warm in Drew's jacket. She looked at Drew, who was only wearing a thin black t-shirt.

"Drew, won't you be cold?" she asked, worried that Drew might catch a cold or something.

"Nah, La Rousse is quite cold, so I'm used to this."

Cheri trees were everywhere, but their branches were bare.

"Pity there aren't and Cheri Berries..." sighed May to herself.

"Drew?" asked May, looking up at him. "I don't think I can sleep outisde tonight... It's too cold."

Drew turned around. He'd been looking at two Pidgeys playing. "How about we stay at a PokeCentre tonight?" he suggested.

"Yeah, that'd be nice" said May softly. They both entered the the Pokemon Centre.

Its Waiting Rooms were full of co-ordinators like Drew and May. Drew pushed through the people, and finally got to the front desk.

"How may I help?" asked a Nurse Joy.

"Do you have any rooms?" he asked, shivering.

Nurse Joy didn't have any rooms left, but she kindly offered Drew and May that they could stay in the Waiting Room.

"Thanks" said Drew, and he pushed through the trainers, and back to May.

"Did you get a room?" asked May immediately. Drew shook his head.

"No, because of the Pokemon Contest, the rooms are all full."

May's shoulders drooped.

"Will we be sleeping here?" she asked uncertainly, looking around anxiously at the crowded room.

"I guess" replied Drew, sitting next to May.

"Umm, have you seen my Spoink?" said a voice. Drew and May looked up.

Standing next to them was a girl around their age. She had long, brown hair with blonde highlights. She was wearing tight, blue jeans and a soft, stripey pink and white t-shirt.

"Have you?" she repeated, her blue eyes wide.

"Sorry, we haven't seen a Spoink" said Drew.

"Ohh..." said the girl, disappointed.

"Would you like us to help you look for your Spoink?" offered May, getting up.

"That's be great!" said the girl, her eyes lighting up. "I'm Ally, by the way!"

"I'm May, and this is Drew" said May, pointing at Drew.

"Thanks for helping me!" said Ally, as they searched the Waiting Room. There was no sign of Spoink.

"Is there any possibility that your Spoink went outside?" asked May, peering through a window.

"No" replied Ally sadly. "Spoink hates the cold."

Just as Ally said that, a small, grey creature with a pink orb on it's head came hopping towards them.

"Spoink!" yelled Ally, relieved. "You're back!"

"Spoi Spoi!" (Weehee!)

"Wow, that's an awesome Spoink!" exclaimed May. "It's orb is so shiny!"

"Thanks! I'm entering Spoink in the contest!" said Ally, hugging Spoink.

"Spoi Spoink!" (Weehee, I love contests!)

"Spoink should look out for my pokemon!" said Drew, holding up his pokeballs.

"You're a co-ordinator?" asked Ally, her eyes wide.

"Yeah, so am I!" said May happily.

"Wow! So, you're competing next week?" asked Ally, petting Spoink.

"Yeah, we're going to be staying here until it's over" said Drew.

"How about you stay at my house?" offered Ally.

"Really? That'd be great!" said May, getting up.

"Spoink Spoink!" (Weehee, new friends!)

"Where do you live?" asked Drew, as they left the PokeCentre.

"Oh, I live on the outskirts!" replied Ally, pointing to the distance.

"Won't your parents mind?" asked May, worried.

"No, they love it when I bring friends over!" said Ally happily.

"So, how many contests have you been to?" asked Drew.

"I've only done the Hoenn contests lat year. I haven't tried the Kanto ones" replied Ally. "This is my first try in Johto!"

"You did the Hoenn contests?" asked May. "Wow, me too!"

"Really? I didn't see you there!" said Ally, her eyes wide again.

"I was in Kanto last year" explained May. "I did the Hoenn ones two years ago."

"Same here" replied Drew, flicking his hair. "Did you get to the Grand Festival?"

"Yep!" said Ally proudly. "I was in the final eight!"

"Wow! That's really good!" exclaimed Drew. "Especially as it was your first try!"

"Thanks!" said Ally happily. "Oh, we're here!"

In front of them was a magnificent farmhouse. There were Miltank, Tauros, Mareep and Grumpigs everywhere.

"Wow! A farm!" exclaimed May. "Is this how you got Spoink?" she added, pointing at the Grumpigs.

"Yeah!" said Ally, stroking her Spoink in her arms. "I'm sort of hoping that Spoink won't evolve, because it's cuter this way!"

"Spoi!" (Weehee, I'm cuter than Grumpig!)

"C'mon, let's go in!" said Ally, leading them inside. The house was like any other house. It had polished, wooden floor and red curtains. The difference was that it was double the size of the rest of the Cherrygrove houses.

"This house used to be an old school for young kids" explained Ally as she led them to the kitchen. "That's why we have so many guest rooms!"

"My parents don't seem to be home" said Ally, peering around the house. "Would you like some lunch?"

Ally made them some sandwiches, and they sat down to talk about their pokemon.

"I have a Spoink, a Ponyta, a Jolteon and a Noctowl. How about you?" Ally asked to May.

"I have a Eevee, a Bulbasaur, a Beautifly, a Skitty, a Squirtle and a Munchlax" said May, munching through her tenth sandwich. "I have a Blaziken, but it's at my Dad's gym. Oh, and I've just caught a Tentacruel!"

Drew shuddered.

"What pokemon do you have, Drew?" asked Ally, turning to face him.

"Oh, I have a Masquerain, a Flygon, a Butterfree, an Absol and a Roselia" he said, still nibbling his first sandwich. He put his sandwich down.

"Are you going to eat that?" asked May hungrily.

Drew shook his head, so May snatched it off his plate. Ally laughed.

"D'you want some more, May?" she asked, getting up.

"No, I'm okay now!" said May, finally swallowing her mouthful of sandwiches. "Uh, can I use the bathroom?"

"Sure, it's down the hall to the left" answered Ally, pointing to the right direction.

"Thanks!" May got up, and left the room.

"Is she always that hungry?" asked Ally to Drew.

"Yeah. I have no idea how she does it" he replied, sweatdropping.

Ally laughed again, and May re-entered the kitchen.

"Oh, hey again, May!" greeted Ally. "How about we go out and train our pokemon until Mom and Dad come home?"

May and Drew agreed.

"Ally?" asked May. "Do you have a jacket I can borrow?"

"Sure! Wait here!" Ally ran upstairs, and appeared again later with a red and white jacket.

"Here, it matches your outfit!" said Ally as she handed May the jacket.

"Thanks! It fits me perfectly!" said May happily, feeling the soft fabric of the jacket.

"C'mon, we'll go train in the empty field behind the house. It has a small lake, May, so we can see your Tentacruel!"

"Great!" said May as they went outside.

"Great" muttered Drew sarcastically.

"So, who will you train first?" asked Ally once they reached the large field.

"I'm going to train Flygon" said Drew, throwing a pokeball.

"I'll train Tentacruel!" announced May as she threw her pokeball.

"I guess I'm gonna train Ponyta!" said Ally. A magnificent fire horse appeared in front of them.

"It's... beautiful!" breathed May. Ponyta's coat was so shiny that it reflected the sun, and it's fiery mane immediately warmed them up.

"Tenta!"

They turned around, and saw Tentacruel splashing happily in the small lake.

"Wow! That's a huge Tentacruel!" exclaimed Ally. She tickled one of its tentacles.

"Why does everyone treat it as if it's a Skitty?" asked Drew.

May smirked. "Oh, are you scared of Tentacruel?" mocked May.

"Well, it does look as if it wants to eat me..." muttered Drew.

"Tenta!"

Drew jumped back, and banged into his Flygon.

"Sorry, Flygon... Didn't see you there..." he apologized.

"Fly!" (S'okay.)

"Wow!" gushed Ally. "Your Flygon looks amazing!"

Drew flicked his hair.

"I used to have a Trapinch, but I gave it to my sister!" continued Ally.

"You have a sister?" asked May, in surprise.

"Yeah! Her name's Ellie! She's a Pokemon Breeder!" said Ally happily. "She's the one that got Ponyta for me!"

Ponyta pawed the ground happily.

"D'you have any more sisters?" asked Drew, patting Flygon.

"Yeah, my eldest sister, Fiona, works on the farm. She cares for the farm pokemon" replied Ally, pointing to a couple of fields. "I think she's milking the Miltanks at the moment."

"How come you have so many Mareep?" asked Drew.

"My brother, Cody, sheers Mareeps wool. We sell the wool, and the wool is made to create medicine for pokemon. It really helps pokemon, Mareep wool!"

"Wow, you have a big family!" said May. "I only have a brother, Max."

She suddenly remembered about Max, and she felt quite sad.

"What's wrong, May?" asked Ally kindly.

"Nothing" she said, forcing herself to smile.

'Max is probably okay...' she thought to herself.

"C'mon, we better start training!" said Drew quickly, to stop Ally asking more questions about Max. "Flygon, Whirlwind!"

Unfortunately, Flygon used Whirlwind above a cluster of dead leaves, so Ally, May and Drew were covered in wet leaves.

"They're all... soggy!" said Ally, peeling leaves off her face.

"Flygon, you're not trying your best!" yelled Drew. "Use Whirlwind as if you really mean it!"

Flygon nodded, and used Whirlwind again. This time, it was much better.

"That's better" nodded Drew.

"May, what attacks does your Tentecruel know?" asked Ally.

"I'm not sure" replied May, sweatdropping. "Tentacruel, use... err, Water Gun?"

Tentecruel didn't use Water Gun, but a much stronger move. May, Drew and Ally were immediately soaked.

"Tentacruel, that wasn't Water Gun, was it?" asked a sodden May.

"I think that was Water Pulse!" gasped Ally. "Only really strong pokemon can learn than naturally, and control it like that!"

"Wow, Tentacruel! You're great!" said May happily. She hugged Tentacruel tightly.

"Tenta Tenta!" (I rock!)

"Tentacruel, use Acid, then Bubblebeam!" shouted May. Tentacruel did as it was told, and soon the whole field was covered in pretty purple bubbles.

"Wow, May! You're really good!" gushed Ally.

"Can I see you do a combination?" asked May.

"Sure! Ponyta, use Fire Blast, then Swift!" called Ally. Soon, there were stars zooming around the place, like shooting stars on fire.

"That was okay" said Drew. "But Flygon can do better!"

"Oh really?" scowled May and Ally together.

"Flygon, use Whirlwind and Dragonbreath!" shouted Drew. The field was covered by a eerie blue mist.

"Nice!" called Ally. They continued to practice their co-ordinating skills all day. Tentacruel decided that it liked Drew, and it constantly hugged Drew.

"May, get that thing away from me!" he yelled as he ran across the field. Tentacruel dragged itself after Drew, having a lot of fun.

"Tent Tent Tentacruel!" (Yay, this is fun!)

Ally and May had a good laugh watching Tentacruel bully Drew, but in the end May felt pity for him, and returned Tentacruel.

"I guess Tentacruel is over-affectionate!" she told Drew once he returned to them, failing to hide her grin.

"I think I noticed that" he replied through clenched teeth. "Can't you keep that thing under control? Because it doesn't seem like it."

May immediately flared up.

"Don't insult Tentacruel!" she said, clenching her fists.

"I wasn't insulting Tentacruel. I was talking about you."

Drew put his hands in his pockets, and walked away to train his Flygon some more.

"Is he always like that?" asked Ally once May had calmed down. "He seemed nice before!"

"He always changes his attitude..." said May quietly. "I just don't know why..."

She gazed at Drew, who was leaning against a tree, his back facing May and Ally. Flygon was still practicing its Whirlwind.

There was a low, rumbling noise, so May turned around to see what it was. A pick-up truck was driving towards the farmhouse.

"Mom and Dad are home!" said Ally excitedly. She turned around.

"Drew, my parents are home! Come on!" she called.

Drew returned Flygon, and walked up to them.

"Let's go say hi!" said Ally, and she ran up to the house, leaving Drew and May alone. Drew ignored May, so she hung back a little so that she didn't have to walk with him.

When they finally got in, Ally and her parents were already sitting down in the living room.

"Oh, hey, Drew, May!" greeted Ally. She turned to her parents. "Mom, Dad, these are the friends I was talking about!"

Ally's Mom got up. Drew and May noticed that she was heavily pregnant.

"Hello! I'm Natalie, Alexandra's mom. This is my husband, Jack" she said. Natalie had a very warm smile and kind eyes.

"Nice to meet you!" said Jack in a hearty voice.

"Nice to meet you too!" said both Drew and May.

"Thanks for letting us stay here until the contest!" said May gratefully.

"No problem, honey!" said Natalie, smiling kindly. "We have enough guest rooms for the whole city!"

"Mom's just been to the hospital to see how the baby's doing!" announced Ally happily, pointing to her mother's bulging tummy. "I'm going to have a baby sister!"

"Wow, congratulations!" said May. "When's it due?"

"In a few weeks! I can't wait!" said Natalie. "Well, I'll go and prepare some dinner."

"I'm gonna go and check on the pokemon before it gets dark. Bye!" said Jack, and he bounded through the front door.

Drew and May sat down.

"I like your parents!" said May. "They're really nice!"

Ally sweatdropped. "They keep calling me Alexandra. I hate it when they do!"

"Alexandra is an okay name..." said Drew. Ally shot him a death glare.

"So, where's the rest of your family?" asked May.

"They'll be coming up from the farm soon" said Ally, getting up. "C'mon, I'll show you your rooms!"

Ally led Drew and May upstairs. They first went to May's room.

"This is your room, May!" said Ally happily. "I guessed you like red, so I took you to the reddest room I could find!"

"Thanks, Ally, I love it!" said May excitedly, and she bounced on top of the bed. "I really love it!"

Ally laughed. "I'll leave you here to entertain yourself while I show Drew his room."

She led Drew out of May's new room, and took him to the room next door.

"This room is green!" she pointed out. Drew looked around, amazed by how much he liked this room.

"Thanks, Ally, this room is great!" he said, sitting on the bouncy bed. "It's perfect!"

May ran into the room. She'd decided to forgive Drew, and she jumped on his bed and started to bounce. Ally laughed, and joined in. Drew prodded May on the leg, so she hit him with a pillow. Somehow, Ally, May and Drew managed to end up on the floor. Ally and May were having a pillow fight, and Drew was watching them, amused. All three felt very happy with each other. To May, it was as if she was back with her old friends. It's funny how a pillow fight can make you feel so happy.

* * *

Tentacruel and Spoink rock! I've always wanted Drew to be chased around the field with an adoring Tentacruel behind him, trying to hug him... How sweet. Spoink is currently having therapy to stop saying 'Weehee' all the time.

* * *


	6. Chapter 6 : Lost In The Snow

* * *

Disclaimer: A guy on MSN said I didn't own pokemon. I said I did, but then my nose grew. Damn nose, I'm going to have it checked in the hospital.

Note: Eheh, sorreh this took so long to get to you peoples... Then again, is there someone actually reading this, and checking this everyday to see if I've posted the next chapter?

...Didn't think so. Enjoy!

* * *

"Drew? Is that you?"

"Yeah. What happened?"

"I think there's been a power cut!" came Ally's voice.

"Hey, that was my foot, May!" said Drew in an irritated tone.

"Sorry!" she gushed apologetically.

"C'mon, let's go and find Mom."

The trio stumbled downstairs in the darkness. Night had fallen outside, so the house seemed even darker. May whacked straight into someone. Dazed, she apologized.

"Sorry!"

"Who's that?"

"I'm May, Ally's friend."

"Oh! I'm Fiona, her older sister, but call me Fifi. C'mon, I'll take you to the kitchen. Mom has lit it up with candles."

Fiona led them into the candle-lit kitchen. Her long, light brown hair cascaded down her back, and she had a braid or two. Fifi's blue eyes were almost hidden by her fringe. She wore a dark red overall, with heavy leather gloves. May wasn't sure what colours her boots were, because they were covered mud, grass, dirt... and something that Pokemon tend to do after eating.

"Mom, what happened?" asked Ally as she ran to her mother.

"I'm not sure, honey! I think that the wires have been damaged somehow. Your father has gone outside to check them" replied Natalie. "Fifi, could you go find your brother, and help him round up the Mareep? We need some electric from them."

Fifi nodded. She ran out of the door, her heavy boots thudding on the ground.

"Where's Cody and Ellie?" asked Ally as she set the table for dinner.

"Trying to calm down the pokemon. The sudden power cut has upset them all" replied her mother, stirring stew in a large pot. The smell wafting from it was delicious.

"Poor pokemon!" said May sadly. "It must be really confusing for them!"

"Yeah, it must be..." said Drew, shaking his head.

"Ally, can we go out and help?" asked May, getting up.

"Mom, can we?" asked Ally to her mother.

"Okay" sighed Natalie. "But don't do anything reckless!"

"We won't!" chorused May and Ally, as they got up from the table.

"Well, I won't, anyway" said Drew, eyeing May. "I don't know about you, May."

'Drew won't anger me again...' thought May, but she clenched her fists and gritted her teeth anyway.

'Calm down...' she soothed herself, breathing deeply.

"Oh, I won't!" said May, smiling artificially. Drew looked a bit taken back at her reply.

"Really..." murmured Drew, smirking.

Ally sighed, but she was amused by all of the quarrelling. She peered her eyes as she looked at her newly-found friends. Drew was deliberately not looking and May, and May was looking very flustered.

"I wonder..." muttered Ally happily to herself, as she let everyone out of the house.

The sudden coldness of the freezing night air hit them all hard.

"Wow! It's s-so c-cold!" stuttered May, rubbing herself warm.

"You'll get used to it!" said Ally. "I'm used to the cold here. Drew, what are you doing?"

Drew was staring up to the roof, his eyes narrowed.

"I can see something up there."

"What?" exclaimed both Ally and May. They all peered up to the roof.

"Unless you occasionally have weirdoes climbing your roof, there's something really strange happening up there" announced Drew, pointing up to the roof.

There was a tall shadow creeping along the roof. It seemed to have a pointy head.

"Is that your dad?" questioned May.

"Dad's much shorter than that..." muttered Ally, scratching her head.

"What is it then?" asked Drew quizically. "D'you breed Onix' up there, or something?"

Ally pushed Drew aside, wanting to get a better look up the house.

Fifi came running over.

"The Mareep have been let loose! It's chaos!" she gasped, panting from running from the fields. "The fences have been knocked down!"

"What?" said all three co-ordinators.

"Does Dad know?" questioned Ally, looking up to her sister's face.

"Cody's gone to tell him now. What are you all staring at, anyway?"

Ally pointed at the roof. "There's something up there, and Drew reckons it's a Onix."

"I was kidding, genius" muttered Drew.

"What is it?!" gasped Fifi.

Drew drew a pokeball out of his pocket.

"I'm gonna find out!" he announced, throwing the pokeball. "Flygon, I choose you!"

"Fly Fly!" (Brr, it's cold!)

"Flygon, use Whirlwind on whatever that's on the roof!" commanded Drew, jerking his head towards the shadow on the house.

"Flygon? Fly!" (That's a bit weird, but okay!)

Flygon flew up to the roof, flapping its wings furiously.

"Whah! What are you?" yelled a male voice from the roof. Flygon spread out its wings and bared its teeth.

"Fly Fly!" (Your worst nightmare!)

Flygon used Whirlwind. The dark shadow yelled angrily as it fell off the roof onto a big pile of hay.

"Who are you, and what are you doing on my roof?!" yelled Ally furiously as she and the rest ran to the shadow.

In the middle of dirty hay was none other but Harley. His hat had toppled off, and Pokemon droppings were all over him.

"You!" he said, pointing at Drew. "Your Flygon blew me off that roof!"

"What were you doing on the roof?" repeated Ally, her fists clenched.

"Trying to ruin Drew and May's lives, duh, hon!" answered Harley, straightening his green hat. "It's my hobby."

"You freak!" growled Fifi through gritted teeth. "Was it you that let the Mareep go?"

Harley laughed quietly. "I knew that you were going to use them to light up your farm again, so I've let them go!"

"Where are they?!?" screamed Fifi. "Tell me NOW!"

"Oh, I don't think you'll see them again..." said Harley airly. He brushed some hay off him. "Well, ta-ta, darlings!"

"DON'T EVEN-!" started Fifi, attempting to grab Harlley's throat, but Harley had already sprinted off into the distance. Fifi's hands closed around nothing.

"DAMNIT!" screamed Fifi into the night. She ran off, pounding her fists on every object she could get her hands on.

Ally sweatdropped. "My sister really loves the pokemon..."

"Well, are we going to find the Mareep or not?!" said Drew, returning Flygon.

May nodded.

"Let's split up" said Ally, as she ran to the fields.

Drew nodded, and also ran off.

May gazed after Drew, wondering where to go.

"Hey, Drew, wait for me!" she called after him. Drew slowed down as May appeared next to him.

"May!" sighed Drew, flicking his hair. "Can't you be on your own for a few minutes?"

"But it's dark down there..." muttered May. She didn't do well with darkness.

"It's dark down here."

May sweatdropped.

"Y-yeah, b-but..." she stuttered, looking down at her feet.

"You wanted to come with me."

May looked up, expecting to see Drew's sneering face, but there was nothing there. She glanced around, and saw Drew disappearing into the shadows.

"H-hey, wait up!" she called, and tried to run up to him once again. An innocent little Shuckle was making its way across the barnyard.

"Shuck Shuckle!" (Ah, it's so refreshing to have a night-time stroll...)

May didn't see the wandering Shuckle. She tripped over it, and landed flat on her face.

"Shuck Shuck!" (Ok, walk's over!)

The Shuckle disappeared into a nearby Diglett hole ("Dig Dig!" (Get yer own hole, yer scavvy seadog!)).

May got up on her knees, and rubbed her grazed elbows.

"Oww..." she muttered, trying to soothe her arms.

"Here, let me help you."

Drew gently pulled her up, and held her in both arms. For a short moment, they stared into each other's eyes, but then Drew withdrew himself.

"I see you can't even stand up on two legs!" he sneered, mocking May to cover up his embarrassment.

"I was only trying to catch up with you..." muttered May, looking at her feet once again. Her feet were actually quite interesting to look at, because when she tripped over the Shuckle, it had let quite a lot of Shuckle Juice over her trainers.

"Ok, you can come with me" sighed Drew, once again setting off for the fields.

May, smiled appreciatively, and they both left the muddy barnyard.

-----

There were hundreds of fields, and all of them could have a Mareep happily prancing around.

"This is going to take forever!" whined May, glancing around the farm.

"No it isn't!" yelled a voice from behind Drew and May. Turning around quickly, they saw Ally running up to them.

"We found them!" she gushed excitedly.

"Where were they?" asked May, who was happy to hear that the Mareep were found.

Ally's expression darkened.

"That $&! of a co-ordinator locked them in the storage room!" she said angrily. "They've eaten all of the food for the pokemon and for us!"

May gasped in horror.

"No... FOOD!?" she breathed, mortified.

Ally nodded solemnly. "Nope. No food at all."

May's shoulders drooped. Drew stared at her in awe.

"May, d'you only care for food?" he questioned, looking a bit disgusted at May.

"Well, you do need it for living!" she retorted, firing up at once.

"Drew, May, calm down!" half-laughed Ally. "We still have food in the house!"

May let out a sigh of relief.

"What about the pokemon?" asked Drew, flicking his hair.

"Oh, they'll be happy enough eating grass!" said Ally. "C'mon, let's go back inside; you look freezing, May!"

May nodded gratefully.

"My toes actually feel as if they're gonna drop off at any moment!"

Ally laughed as Drew shook his head, sighing.

"Honestly, I don't know how you're going to survive the Johto."

May looked ready to kill Drew, but Ally led her away quickly.

"I don't know how I'm going to survive with you, either, May," added Drew under his breath as he followed the girls across the mud-covered yard.

-----

May instantly warmed up once she was inside.

"Mm! The stew smells great! You're a great cook!" complimented May to Natasha.

"Why, thank you!" said Natasha happily. "Dinner will be ready now!"

The whole family and the guests sat down, eating Natasha's glorious food.

There were two unfamiliar faces at the table.

"Hi, I'm Ellie!" greeted a tall young woman, with shoulder-length golden hair and a short fringe. She was wearing a long red top, and tight black jeans with an apron embroidered with PokeBalls.

"I'm Cody. Nice to meet'cha," said a tall boy with floppy blond hair. Like Fifi, he was also wearing overalls and dirty boots.

"Hi, Ellie, Cody! I'm May!" said May, smiling. "And this is Drew."

Drew nodded in greeting.

"I know all about you, of course!" said Ellie, grinning at May and Drew.

"What?" May froze. "How?"

"Ally told me while we were herding the Mareep. Apparently you and Drew have a lov- OUCH!"

Ally had crushed Ellie's foot from under the table.

"Sisters!" sighed Ally, and she quickly stuffed stew into Ellie's mouth.

"Moomph!" spluttered Ellie.

Drew could feel his face growing hot. Him?! Blushing?!? Drew quickly dropped his fork as an excuse to dive under the table to cover his flushed face.

'Why am I blushing?!' he wondered furiously to himself. 'It was just Ally being idiotic about me and May. It isn't true!'

"Hey, Drew, you having a party down there?" came Ally's voice, and several people laughed. Drew emerged from underneath the table, his cheeks still bearing slightly pink smudges.

"Hey, he's back!" exclaimed Ally, throwing up her arms as if she was in shock. The others laughed again. Drew finished his stew quickly, and ran upstairs, muttering something about his Roselia.

May stared at him as he scurried out of the room.

'That's weird...' she thought, frowning. 'Drew never acts like that...'

May ate her dinner hurriedly, and left the kitchen to find Drew.

"Drew?" she called, but there was no answer. She hurried upstairs, hoping to find him in his room.

"Drew?" she called again, knocking gently on his door. "You in there?"

The door opened slowly, and a little green face popped out of it.

"Roselia?" said May, startled. "Where's Drew?"

"Ros Ros Rose!" (I'm not sure. He said something about 'wanting to think'. He seemed a bit flustered.)

'Drew? Flustered!?' thought May, bewildered.

"Rose!" (Sorry!)

"It's okay, Roselia. I'll go find him."

Roselia closed the door, leaving a confused May in the hall.

'Where could he be then?'

She bounded around the house, searching everywhere for Drew. May checked every guest room, bathroom and even the attic (which was VERY dark, so May tried her best not to squeal as she searched), but there was no sign of Drew.

"He must've gone outside..." said May softly, as she stared through the window.

A soft tapping noise was heard on the door.

"May?" came Ally's voice. "Can I come in?"

May got up from the window. "Sure!"

Ally entered the room, and sat herself down on the bed.

"Where's Drew? Mom and Dad are starting to get worried."

"I have no idea..." said May sadly, shaking her head.

"If he doesn't appear soon, there's gonna be trouble."

May must've looked very confused, because Ally started to explain.

"It's going to snow tonight. Ellie, Fifi and Cody were just herding up the pokemon now, into the barns. Cherrygrove is famous for one of the Pokemon World's coldest winters. Drew could die out there if he doesn't come back."

May stared at Ally for a few moments, her eyes wide in shock. She turned to the window, and gazed out of it once more.

"Drew..."

May's voice was soft and quiet, barely more than a whisper. She continued to gaze out to the dark fields, and every shadow. Her eyes began to sting.

May rubbed her eyes, and got up.

"Ally, I'm going to look for him!"

"May!" said Ally desperately, fear in her eyes. "You're from Hoenn, you're not used to these temperatures... Not even Cherrygrove townspeople can live through winter's first storm. It's fierce."

May didn't care. She boldly left the house, with Ally staring after her.

"May! Wait up, I'm coming with you!"

Ally ran to her. May smiled, happy that her friend was going to help look for Drew.

"What if Drew comes back while we're looking?" questioned Ally.

May half-laughed. "Drew doesn't know about the Cherrygrove blizzard, does he? He's probably sitting in a field, training his Flygon."

Ally nodded.

"I guess this is out second rescue mission tonight!" she said, shivering in a sudden gust of cold. "The blizzard is coming..."

They continued to search the shadow-cast fields, looking for any sign of Drew.

After an hour or so, May felt the first flakes of snow land on her bare arms.

"The blizzard will speed up in a matter of minutes. Brace yourself" said Ally, her eyes now empty of fear, but filled with thrill.

There was no going back. The farm was out of sight, and the blizzard was making it hard to see.

"May..." said Ally, fear back in her voice. The snow started to whirl crazily around them, as if it were dancing.

"May!" repeated Ally, her eyes wide. Snow was falling quickly on the ground, building up around their ankles.

"MAY!" bellowed Ally. "If we don't get back, we'll be killed!"

May nodded. They would never find anyone in this blizzard...

May allowed herself to be turned around, and be led back by Ally. She kept glancing behind her back, expecting to see Drew flicking his hair, and smiling softly at her, but all she saw was snow whirling around, creating all kinds of shapes.

While climbing over a very steep bank, May lost her balance. She slipped down, but Ally didn't notice. She thought that May was still beside her, because it was hard to tell with the snow. If May held out a hand before her, she would not have been able to see it.

"Ally!" she shouted, but her voice was carried away from the strong gust.

Brushing snow off herself, May got up. Then her mind filled with horror. She was standing in the middle of the deadliest blizzard in the entire Pokemon World, in a short-sleeved top and shorts. Her pokeballs were in her room. Her eyes stung.

May fell onto her knees, and let tears pour out of her sapphire eyes. Snow fell thick and fast around her, but she didn't care. She only wanted to find Drew; know that he was safe.

May was longingly to see Drew standing next to her, helping her back on her feet. But Drew wasn't there; he was probably at Ally's house, safe. May hit the ground hard with her fists. She'd been so stupid. Drew was likely in the back garden when they noticed he was missing. May felt so alone.

The minutes that passed turned into hours. May had long given up on searching. Her cold body was curled up in the snow. Tears were still slowly falling from May's eyes. Memories of her life flew into her mind. Travelling with Ash, entering Contests, making new friends, battling Drew. A specific memory of May saving Drew from a rapid river caused May to sit up suddenly.

"Drew, I helped you once, and I'll help you again," said May confidently. She got up; snow was falling off her and onto her feet. She shook her hair to get most of it out, and slowly started her search again.

More hours passed. Every now and then, May would see shadows moving, but they we're only passing Murkrow, flying for cover. May was so tired, that she felt as if she closed her eyes, she'd fall asleep. But she continued, tripping over constantly, but she still continued. The snow was getting worse. May could barely walk as the snow got around her knees. Her skin was as cold as ice, but May didn't know that, because she was so numb. The snow was starting to get the better of May. Her feet stopped moving, and her eyes closed. As if in slow motion, she slowly fell into the snow, knocked unconscious from the cold. Her head was pressing against something warm, but she didn't know. The snow covered her up out of sight in a matter of minutes.

May had no chance of being found.


	7. Chapter 7 : The Little Annoing Voice

**_

* * *

Disclaimer: _**

Drew: May, did you know that the person that writes this fanfiction doesn't own Pokemon?

May: What!? We're owned by someone else?! -Faints-

Drew: Uh, oops. -Smiles Sheepishly-

Note Thingie: Yes, I couldn't stop writing about the snow incident! I need to write MORE! Bwahaha! Anyhoo, what will happen to May? Dun dun dun! Enjoy, peoples!**_

* * *

_**

**_A few hours before May got lost..._**

Drew threw his jacket on his bed, and sat down on the bed. His Roselia peered curiously up at him.

"Ros Ros?" (Where were you?)

Drew shook some snow out of his hair. "I went out to the garden for a while, Roselia. I came back in when it started to snow, though."

Drew didn't admit to Roselia _why_ he had disappeared.

"Ros Roselia Ros?" (But it started snowing hours ago!)

Drew sweatdropped. "Yeah, well..." he stammered, shifting around uncomfortably on the bed sheets. Before Roselia could ask further questions, the door burst open.

"D-drew!" gasped a panting Ally. "Y-you're b-back!"

Drew was shocked to see Ally covered in snow. Her skin looked frozen, and her hands were shaking uncontrollably.

"Where's May?" he asked, glancing behind Ally. Ally's teeth were chattering so badly, Drew wrapped his jacket around her bare arms.

"Where is she?" repeated Drew, sitting Ally down on the bed.

"W-w-we were looking f-for you, D-drew, out in the b-blizzard. B-but May d-disappeared into the s-snow, b-but I didn't notice u-until I c-came back here, to s-see if you-re b-back." she stuttered, her teeth still clattering. Ally looked into Drew's eyes. "D-drew, May c-could die out there."

Drew stared at Ally in shocked silence. Roselia started to jump up and down, her roses flailing in panic.

"Ros Ros!" (Holy Mankey, come on! You have to find her!)

Drew nodded, and got up. Ally started to follow him, but she collapsed onto his bed.

"Ally," said Drew, taking his jacket off Ally, "I have to find May."

He walked across the room to the door, but found Ally following him.

"Ally, I said stay!" he repeated firmly. Ally sat down on the bed obediently, and fell into a deep sleep into a matter of seconds.

Tugging his jacket on himself, Drew ran out of the room, and out of the house to the barnyard.

"May!" called Drew to the dark, but there was no response. Luckily, the snow had started to calm down, so Drew was able to see a bit clearer.

"May!" he called again, louder. Still no response. Drew started to get desperate. He went to the frozen fields, which were covered in a blanket of snow.

The fields were all the same, and the only way Drew could tell which fields he had searched and which fields he hadn't was by checking if his footprints were there. But, the footprints only stayed there for a bit, because the fluttering snow around Drew quickly filled them up. Drew must've searched the same field over and over, but he still looked for May.

"May!" he called desperately, but his voice was blown away from the wind. He angrily kicked a mossy green stone in frustration. The stone was oddly soft.

"Scyther!" said the rock. Drew sprang back in shock. A large green pokemon emerged from the snow, now sporting a very black eye.

"Scyther!" it said again, angrily, swishing it's long, knife-like arms at Drew. Scyther slashed Drew's trousers, and his leg. Drew felt something warm trickle down his leg from his knee.

"Scyther!" said the large, green insect-like pokemon, and it disappeared into the shadows.

Drew's leg was badly cut, so he ripped the bottom of his jeans off. That task was made easier, because Scyther had just torn a lot of it. Drew wrapped the scrap of fabric around his injured leg, and tied it in a knot. He then carried on with his desperate search. Every step Drew took felt like a mile, and ever hour that passed felt like a century. But he refused to give up, however intense the pain was in his leg.

"Don't give up, May," he said to the dark. "Don't give up."

Drew repeated those words every minute or so, but each time his voice grew fainter and more tired. Drew's leg now felt as if it were burning. He staggered into yet another field, still calling desperately for his lost friend.

Drew stumbled around in the field. The pain in his leg was unbearable. He collapsed to the ground. Drew's breathing became quieter. He slowly fell into a faze of unconsciousness, his hair billowing in the strong gust.

Moments later, a young girl stumbled towards Drew, but she was oblivious that he was there. She felt so cold, so alone... The girl collapsed onto the snow, and her breathing came shallower as her heart started to give up.

-----

Whispers could be heard around Drew.

"Where did you find them?" came Natalie's voice, whispering urgently.

"In one of our fields, at four a.m. this morning. If it hadn't been for May's PokeNav, I wouldn't have found them," replied Ally's voice in a hushed tone.

"May's PokeNav?" said Ally's father's voice, Jack. "How?"

"A Pidgey flew past, and a weird voice piped up from a lump of snow, saying "Pidgey is a very docile Pokemon. Because of it's dislike of fighting, it kicks up sand in the enemy's face.", and I went to the lump of snow, and saw Drew and May there, together," said Ally, giggling at the last bit.

"Good old PokeNav!" laughed Jack. Drew stirred slowly in his bed.

"Shh, Drew's waking up!" hushed Natalie's voice. The room fell silent.

Drew flickered his eyes open. For a few moments, his eyes were blurred, and all he could see was white. As his eyes fell into focus, Drew saw that Ally, Natalie and Jack were all surrounding the bed he was in. Drew was back in his room, safe in bed.

Drew tried desperately to talk. He finally managed to say in a hoarse whisper, "May."

Ally was the first to speak after a long silence.

"May's over there."

Ally pointed to the other side of the room. Another bed was there. May seemed to be sleeping, but she was more likely unconscious. Ally's face was grim.

"We moved her bed to your room so that you could see each other. She hasn't woken up, or even stirred" she said gloomily.

Drew started to struggle to get out of bed, but Natalie stopped him.

"Drew, you need rest," she said softly, and tucked him back into the bed. Drew stared at May from the other side of the room, whishing that she was ok.

Another long silence passed. Drew couldn't take it.

"May," he whispered softly, and he slid out of the bed. This time, no one stopped him. Drew was still wearing his ripped jeans and his shirt and jacket. His leg was strangely heavy. Looking down, Drew saw that his leg was wrapped in layers of bandages. Drew limped slowly to May's side, dragging his injured leg. He sat down gently on the edge of May's bed.

Her face was as white as a sheet. Drew held one of her icy hands in both of his hands. He willed her to wake up. And then, as if it were a miracle, May's eyes flickered open.

"Drew?" she said softly, her eyes widening. Drew dropped her hand quickly.

"Hey, May," he said quietly, slightly embarassed.

"What... happened?" she asked, starting to shuffle around in her bed.

Ally came walking towards them.

"May, you know that we went outside to look for Drew?" said Ally. May nodded slowly. "You disappeared for ages. Drew was in his room with his Roselia when I came back. I told him what happened, and he left his room to look for you. He didn't come back."

May's eyes filled with tears.

"You would risk your life... for m-me?" she whispered, wiping her eyes.

Drew smiled softly, and flicked his hair. "Of course I would. And I did."

"I went out to look for you two. Mom and Dad and the rest had gone to calm down an uproar that had happened in one of the barns, leaving me on my own to look for you. I heard your PokeNav talk, May, and I found you two. Even though it was a very serious circumstance, what I saw made my heart melt. May was in Drew's arms, and you looked so cute! Pity you were both unconscious, though." added Ally, giggling.

May blushed heavily, and dived under her sheets to cover up her embarrassment. Drew didn't have anything to hide his flushed face with. He looked away from May and Ally for a few moments to let his blushing cheeks calm down.

"Of course, May had only collapsed on top of you by accident," continued Ally, grinning at them. "Lucky you ended up with each other, really. May's PokeNav pretty much saved your lives."

Drew turned back to Ally, his face now normal again.

"How's my leg?" he asked, glancing at his heavily bandaged leg. His voice was still quiet and hoarse.

"You had a very deep cut. It's lucky Mom managed to sort you out before it got too serious!" exclaimed Ally. "What did you do to it, anyway?"

Drew explained about how he angered a Scyther, and got slashed by it. He then continued with his story, on how about he searched for May for hours.

"That's so sweet!" gushed Natalie, clasping her hands.

Drew's face got a light pink tinge to it, but he didn't look away this time.

"I can't believe that you risked your life for me, Drew," whispered May, tears falling from her eyes.

"Hey, hey," soothed Drew. He lightly wiped her tears away. "You did the same thing for me."

May smiled weakly. Ally gestured to her parents that they should leave, so they did, leaving May and Drew alone.

"How's your leg?" asked May softly.

"I'll live" shrugged Drew. "It was really incredible that we ended up with each other..."

"In each others arms..." finished May. She took a hold of Drew's hand.

"Drew, I-I-I..." she stuttered. Drew stared at her expectantly. May let her hands fall limply beside her.

"I'm really lucky to have a friend like you" she said, avoiding Drew's eyes. Drew felt his heart fall with a thud.

"I'm lucky to have a friend like you, too, May" said Drew quietly, also avoiding May's eyes.

'What were you expecting?' said a little voice in Drew's mind. 'For her to say that she likes you? That she _loves _you?'

Drew shook his head.

'I don't like her like that!' he thought furiously, snapping back to the voice in his head. 'I just care for her more than my other friends, that's all!'

'Pfft' snorted the little voice. 'Then why do you feel so disappointed after what she just said?'

'I... well... uh... Wait! You're just a voice in my head! You are me! I am you! Shut up!'

The voice did shut up, and Drew dropped back into reality. May looked a bit confused at Drew. Drew noticed that he must've been fighting with himself for quite a while. He smiled at May, and got up from her bed to his. As he slid between the sheets, the voice came back.

'You do like her!' said the voice, taunting Drew.

'Yes, I do, as a friend!'

'More than a friend?'

'Well... maybe a bit.'

'Oh, come on! You risked your life for her!'

'She risked her life too. That's what friends do.'

'Do friends hold each other in their arms?'

'We were unconscious!'

'Same difference. You do like her, admit it!'

'I like her as a friend. The end.'

'No, not the end. You like her, and you should say something.'

'She doesn't like me more than a friend. So why should I?'

'You love her!'

'I don't! Now, shut up, and let me sleep!'

'Fine!'

The voice finally disappeared into the back of Drew's mind. May had fallen asleep; she was snuffling gently. Drew laughed quietly as she muttered in her sleep.

"Chocolate..." she murmered, smiling in her sleep. "Cake... biscuits... cookies... Drew..."

Drew froze. Did she say his name?

'Hey, she said your name with all the things she loves!' came the annoying voice yet again. 'That means something!'

'No it doesn't!'

'Oh yes it does!'

'It was coincidence!'

'You may think it's a coinkydink, but I think it's love.'

'But you and I, we're the same person!'

'Exactly!'

'Huh!?'

But the voice was gone. Drew blinked repeatedly. What did the voice mean? The voice thinks it's love... but the voice is Drew. Does that mean Drew loves May?!

Drew shook his head vigorously.

'Well, actually, it does.'

"Shut UP!" yelled Drew. May stirred in her sleep, but didn't wake up. Drew let out a sigh of relief. Ally nor her family came running up to see why he had yelled, so Drew didn't have to waste his breath to explain.

May's blanket fell off of her. She shivered, but didn't wake up. Drew sighed, and slipped out of his bed. He limped towards the fallen blanket, and picked it up. He tucked it around her small, thin body. May stopped shivering. Her face was still pale from the encounter with the blizzard. She muttered something about food in her dreams. Drew laughed softly. He then did something that he'd never done before.

Drew bent down over May's face, and kissed her cheeks lightly. It was only a quick peck, but Drew felt so warm and happy inside of him. He quickly went back to his bed, afraid that May might wake up.

'So!' said the annoying voice, returning yet again. 'You kissed her!'

'It was only a good night kiss...'

'It's morning.'

'No, it isn't! It's 11 p.m.!'

'Boy, have you been conked out for ages!' said the voice. 'So, d'ya know if you love her yet?'

'For Growlithe's sake, I do not love her!'

'You kissed her...'

'On the cheek. She was asleep. I call it a goodnight kiss.'

'I call it romance.'

'Well that's you.'

'Ahem, I'm you. You're me. Remember?'

'How am I having conversations with you then!?'

'Dunno. You're mad?'

'Go away!'

The voice poofed from Drew's head.

Drew rubbed his eyes, and turned over in his bed.

'Am I mad?' he wondered to himself.

'You bet you are.' muttered an annoying, sly voice from Drew's head.

-----

Ally was covered in pancake mix the next morning. She'd decided to make a great breakfast for her friends. On Ally's first try, the pancakes shrivelled up into nothing in the frying pan. On the second try, Ally accidentally threw them through the window while flipping them over. Eventually, on the tenth try, they were perfect. Ally smiled happily to herself. She had spent hours trying to make the perfect pancakes! She took them upstairs on a tray, and bustled into the room which Drew and May were in.

May was sitting up in her bed when Ally entered.

"Hey Ally!" she greeted, smiling. "Those pancakes smell great!"

"Thanks! They took forever to make, but I've finally got them perfect for you and Drew!" said Ally proudly.

"Drew's still asleep," said May, gesturing towards the slumbering boy in the bed next to her.

"Oh well. If he doesn't wake up soon, I'll eat the pancakes!" laughed Ally as she sat down on the edge of May's bed.

"These are delicious!" gushed May, as she tasted the pancakes. "Did you make these yourself?"

Ally sweatdropped. "Err, well, I got Mom to help me..."

"They're still delicious!" said May happily. "I'm sure Drew would love these!"

Drew muttered something in his sleep, and turned over in his bed. His eyes flickered open.

"Hey, sleepyhead!" greeted Ally, passing him a plate of pancakes. "I made you some breakfast!"

Drew yawned and stretched, and sat up in his bed.

"Thanks," he muttered, his voice still hoarse from calling for May.

Drew's eyes lit up as he ate the pancakes.

"Did you make these yourself?" he asked in awe.

Ally sweatdropped again. "Well, I, urr..."

Fifi ran into the room, looking ready to kill.

"Ally, your Spoink has upset all the Grumpigs! Can't you control that thing?" she exclaimed angrily.

Ally's fists clenched. "I was busy making breakfast for Drew and May!"

"Well, you're done now! Go get Spoink, and calm the Grumpigs!"

"Fine!" yelled Ally, and she stormed out of the bedroom. Fifi sighed in frustration, and left after her sister.

"Boy, am I glad I only have a little brother!" exclaimed May. She reached out her hand and stole a bit of Drew's pancakes off his plate.

"Hey, hands off!" said Drew, pushing May's hand away.

May peered at the beds. "How did the beds move closer to each other?"

"I moved my bed closer to your because you kept dropping your blanket." replied Drew quickly. "I got fed up of moving across the room every five minutes, so I moved my bed here, so that I only have to reach down from it to reach your blanket and tuck you under it again."

This was true, bet there was also another reason.

'What is it, then?' asked the incredibly irritating voice in Drew's mind.

'It isn't your business!'

'Uh, yes it is. Anyway, I know. You wanted to be closer to her!'

'No, I just said why! You should know, though! 'Cause you're me! You heard it! _I _said it! So you knew, because I knew! We're the same thing!'

'Whoah, you confuse me, bro.'

'We're not brothers!'

'Eh, close enough.'

The voice poofed away. May was peering up at Drew curiously.

"You moved your bed closer to me, to pick up my blanket?" she asked, looking suspicious. Drew sweatdropped.

"Yes. That's it!" he said hastily.

'She knows that you like her!' sneered the voice that Drew was tempted to murder.

'I don't like her! Well, yes, as a friend, but not more than that!'

'You kissed her, though.'

'Goodnight kiss!'

'Same difference. You should tell her.'

'Tell her what?'

'That you kissed her!'

'No way!'

'Fine. Your loss.'

'?!'

Drew turned his attention to something else other than his mind. May was still peering suspiciously at him.

"Really..." she murmured as she brushed pancake crumbs off herself.

"I'm gonna ask Ally's mom about my leg," announced Drew, and he slipped out of his bed. May got out of bed too.

"What?" she questioned, when she saw Drew's curious look. "I wanna come too!"

Drew limped out of the room with May following behind him.

"Where d'you think she is?" asked Drew, glancing around the house.

As if by answer, Natalie came bustling out of the laundry room, her huge stomach pressing against her smock dress.

"Oh, hello!" she greeted, smiling at Drew and May. "Up and about, I see! How's your leg, honey?"

"It's fine. I was wondering for how long the bandage will be there," replied Drew, jerking his head at his heavily bandaged leg.

"Oh, only for a day or two! I have first aid training, so I gave you some stitches when Ally found you."

Drew look horrified.

"I have... _stitches_!?" he exclaimed, mortified.

"Yes, but only for a while. You had a pretty deep cut!"

Drew gulped. "I don't like the idea of stitches..."

"Don't worry!" soothed May, who was by his side. "I had stitches when I was little, in my arm. It doesn't hurt to get them out, honest!"

"I'm not scared!" muttered Drew.

"Drew, May, d'you have any clean clothes? You're a bit mucky!" said Natalie, laughing.

May nodded, and led Drew back into the bedroom. Drew pulled off his jacket and tight black t-shirt. May stared at his body in awe.

'How did he get that body!?' she questioned to herself. 'He's so... healthy-looking?'

"What?' asked Drew curiously. May had been staring at him for the last five minutes.

"N-nothing!" she blushed. She got up, and muttered something about changing in the bathroom to get some privacy. May rushed out of the room, and quickly locked herself into the bathroom.

'Where did those abs come from!?' she wondered to herself as she changed into fresh clothes. 'Have they always been there?'

May gathered up her dirty clothes, and wandered back to the bedroom.

Drew was sitting on the bed, in clean clothes. His torn jeans was on the floor next to him in a pathetic heap.

May sighed, and picked up his clothes.

"I'm taking these to Ally's mom to wash. Maybe she can do something with your jeans."

She left the room with her arms full of dirty clothing, and went into the laundry room. Natalie was nowhere to be seen.

May looked at the washing machine.

'Well, it can't be too hard to use!'

She opened the top, and tipped the clothes in.

"Soap... soap... aha!"

May read the instructions on the back of the soap carton. It said 'Pour one heaping into the washing machine'.

'How much is 'heaping'?' asked May to herself, completely confused. She shrugged, and poured the whole box in.

"There!" she said happily. The washing machine rumbled as it washed the clothes, but otherwise everything seemed fine. May turned to leave the room, but a sudden bang stopped her in her tracks.

"Whah?"

The washing machine burst open, and bubbles flew everywhere. The bubbles bounced around the room. Soon, May was covered by the bubbles.

"Ah! Help!" she called, trying to spit out the taste of soap from her mouth.

"May?" came Drew's voice from behind the door. "Are you ok?"

"Drew, don't come-!" began May, but it was too late. Drew opened the door, and was soon covered by an avalanche of bubbles.

"-In!" finished May hopelessly. Drew's head popped up through the bubbles.

"What did you do?!" he asked furiously.

"I tried to wash some clothes... I guess the washer's broken!"

Drew sighed. "You are so stupid! Did you pour the whole box in or something?"

He snorted. May sweatdropped. "Err, yes..."

Drew sighed again.

"Come on, the bubbles are taking over the house!" he said, helping May up from the slippery floor by grabbing onto her hand. May blushed when his hand touched hers, and fell over. Drew was dragged down with her.

"Sorry! Did I hurt your leg?" laughed May, seeing the sight of Drew. His face was covered by foam, and he looked pretty funny. "You look hilarious!"

Drew wiped his face, and scooped up some bubbles in his arms. He threw them at May.

"Hey!" said May playfully as the bubbles popped in her hair.

"Come on, we have to get rid of the bubbles!" said Drew, but smiling this time. He got a hold of May's hand, and pulled her up. They ran out of the laundry room, and saw the strangest sight in the world.

Drew and May's pokemon were happily rolling around in the foam.

"Masquerain! Masq!" (Hey, join in the fun!)

Masquerain was happily covering itself in bubbles.

"Masquerain? Can you and the rest do us a favour?" asked May, picking a soapy Eevee up from the foam.

"Masq!" (Yah!)

"Could you and the others pop all of the bubbles for us?"

"Masq Masq Masquerain!" (Ooh, that sounds fun! Sure!)

Masquerain happily flew away, popping all the bubbles it could see. Soon, the other pokemon were doing the same. Eevee jumped out of May's arms, and joined in.

"Where is everyone, anyway?" asked May, as she and Drew went back to the laundry room.

"Probably out on the farm. Lucky they didn't see all these bubbles!" said Drew, glancing around at the bubble-covered room. "Well, while the pokemon are busy popping bubbles in the rest of the house..."

"We should pop the ones here!" finished May, squealing happily. Drew opened his mouth, but closed it again. What he meant to say was that he didn't suggest that they pop bubbles, but that they have some lunch. But May was already on the floor, popping them happily. Drew slid down next to her, and joined in.

"Drew! You're not popping them right!" said May playfully. Drew, who was popping the bubbles daintily with his fingers, looked up at her.

"Oh, yeah?" he sneered, flicking his hair. "How do you do it, then?"

"Like THIS!"

May thumped her hands flat on the floor, so that a lot of bubbles floated upwards, and landed on Drew.

"Heh, whoops!" giggled May, and started to pop the bubbles on Drew's jacket.

Drew grinned evily, and pushed a squealing May over into the bubbles. She emerged looking like a snowman.

"Hey, Frosty The Snowman, I think we should pop the rest now!" smirked Drew. May brushed the bubbles off herself, and continued to pop the foam.

After an hour of eliminating bubbles, the house was finally foam-free.

"There!" said May happily as she sat down on her bed in the bedroom Drew sat down next to her. "No bubbles in sight!"

"Except on your head!" laughed Drew, and he leaned closer to brush it off. "There."

May smiled. She then noticed how close she and Drew were. Drew's face was only a few centimetres away from hers. May blushed lightly, and turned away. Drew withdrew himself, a pink tinge on his cheeks. He coughed, and quickly went to his bed. He lay down on it, thinking about what just happened.

'It's amazing what bubbles can do to a friendship...' he thought to himself.

'Who says it's a friendship?' came the annoying voice that Drew was longing to burry in a desert. 'I think its romance!'

'Even if we're the same person, we have different opinions!'

'Oh, do we now?'

'What's that supposed to mean?'

'Well, I wasn't the one that moved the bed closer to May, just to be with her.'

'I did it because I was fed up of walking across the room every second!'

'Yeah, whatever.'

'If you don't go away, I'll go talk to a shrink.'

'NOOOOOOOOO!'

The voice poofed away instantly. Drew smiled triumphantly to himself.

'That got rid of it.'

'That's what you think, buddy.'


	8. Chapter 8 : The Pokemon Are Wondering

* * *

Disclaimer: 

A Sailor Went To Sea Sea Sea

To See What He Could See See See

But All That He Could See See See

Was A Plaque Saying That I Didn't Own Pokemon.

Damn sea.

Author's Note: Yay, another chapter! This is the longest one yet, and the hardest to write. You try and remember all of Drew and May's pokemon! It's hard o.O

Anyhoo, I'm not sure for how long I'll be writing this. Perhaps a few more chapters, or a dozen, or fifty... Yah never know, do yah? ;)

Mwynhewch, Fy Ffrindiau! (Welsh for 'Enjoy, My Friends!')

* * *

All of Drew and May's pokemon sat in one of the guestrooms, chatting about their Masters. 

"Squirt?" (D'you think something's happening between them?)

"Ros Roselia!" (Yes! Drew is going ga-ga over May!)

"Munchlax Munch?" (How can you tell? I didn't notice anything!)

"Eve!" (You don't notice anything but food!)

"Munch." (Eheh.)

"Tentacruel..." (I don't know them well enough yet. All I know is that Drew hates me...)

"Masq Masq!" (Aww, come on! He doesn't hate you, Tentacruel!)

"Ros Ros!" (Anyhoo, I definitely think there's a little some-some in the air between those guys!)

"Beauti Fly Fly!" (But how can you tell that they like each other, anyway?)

"Ros! Ros Roselia Ros Ros!" (Come on! I'm a rose pokemon! Roses mean love, so I'm extra sensitive to that!)

"Skit?" (Are you? Wow.)

"Ros Ros Ros." (Yeah, I am. Anyway, did you see the way they acted around each other? I think they have a crush on each other!)

"Munch?" (Really? I just thought they were friends...)

"Eve!" (Shut up, Munchlax!)

Eevee stuffed May's Pink Surprise PokeBlock in Munchlax's face. Munchlax fell asleep immediately.

"Eve Eve Eevee." (Well that shut him up.)

"Bulba! Bulbasaur!" (I know how find out if they like each other!)

"Skitty!?" (How?!)

The pokemon huddled together, planning quietly to each other. A few minutes later, they all put their paws/wings/claws/tentacles/flippers together, and jumped up happily.

"Bulba Bulb? Bulbasaur!" (Everyone know the plan? Righto, let's go!)

The pokemon all scarpered away.

-----

Drew, May and Ally spent a fun afternoon helping on the farm. Drew was intrigued by a lone Tauros in one of the snow-covered fields. He slowly walked towards it, his hand outstretched.

A few seconds later, Drew could be seen flying through the air. He landed with a soft _thud _in some clean hay. Ally and May came running at him.

"Drew, are you ok?!" asked a worried May. She held his hand and hoisted him up. May quickly dropped his hand, though.

"I'm fine," said Drew, flicking his hair to get the hay out. "Why did that Tauros attack me?"

"That Tauros was put in the field for being mean to the other pokemon! It's a really wild Tauros, that one. I guess it attacked you for coming near!

"Drew, did it kick your leg?" asked May, still worried. She bent down to check his leg.

"No, it didn't kick me," said Drew, straightening his jacket.

"What did it do, then?" questioned May, confused.

"I think it used Psychic. I sort of floated through the air," said Drew, looking up as if to see himself gliding through the air. "Bit creepy if you ask me."

"Tauros used Psychic?!" exclaimed Ally, shocked. "But a Tauros doesn't learn Psychic naturally!"

"Well, that one does!" said Drew, rubbing his back. "Good thing my landing wasn't too painful."

"I'll tell Fifi about that Tauros at dinner," decided Ally, smiling. "C'mon, I gotta show you something!"

She led them to another field, quite far away from the farm. In the field was a small lake, with bits of ice floating around the top.

"Look what we've been breeding here!" said Ally, pointing to the lake. A school of orange fish were swimming around happily in the lake.

"Wow! Magikarp!" breathed May. "I heard that they evolve into Gyarados!"

"But until then, they're pretty useless," muttered Drew.

"You got that right!" said Ally. "None of them have evolved into Gyarados! That's why I was wondering if you guys would like one each!"

May immediately accepted. Drew shook his head.

"Nah, I think I can live without a Magikarp," he smirked, flicking his hair.

May caught the first Magikarp she found.

"Aww! It's so sweet!" she gushed, tickling her new Magikarp.

"Magi Magi Magikarp!"

May was very happy with her new (and useless) pokemon. She skipped happily as they went back to the house.

Drew watched May as she sang and dance out of joy. It was one of the things that made her so loveable ('In a friends' way' thought Drew hastily). She was easily made happy, and when she was, her smile could easily light up a room.

"I have a Magikarp!" sang May joyfully. "It's gonna evolve into a Gyaradooooos!"

Drew laughed and shook his head at May.

"Oh, and how are you going to manage to get it to evolve?" sneered Drew.

"You wait!" said May, punching the air with her fist. "The judges are used to seeing me with cute and cuddly pokemon! But with Tentacruel and maybe even a Gyarados, I'll have the contest in the bag!"

Abandoning her sing and dance routine, May marched up to the house, feeling very confident with herself.

Ally laughed, and ran after her, with Drew still limping behind them. His leg was still quite sore. Drew's leg was actually hurting quite a lot. He saw a Miltank happily trying to find grass under the snow.

"Miltank!" called Drew. The Miltank looked up.

"Mil?" (Huh?)

"Come here for a minute!"

The Miltank obediently approached Drew.

"Mil?" it repeated, confused.

"Miltank, can you use Heal Bell on my leg?" he asked, pointing at his heavily bandaged leg.

"Mil Mil!" (Sure!)

The Miltank grabed a hold of Drew's injured leg. Drew tried his best not to wince. The Miltank glowed a very bright blue, and Drew felt the pain in his leg melt away.

"Thanks, Miltank!" he said appreciatively. The Miltank girnned happily, and ran off.

Drew ran up the field after Ally and May. It felt so good to be able to run freely again.

"Drew!" exclaimed May as he caught up with them. "Your leg!"

Drew looked down. The bandage had slid off, because the swelling in the leg had gone down, so it was much more lose. He smiled sheepishly.

"I asked a Miltank to heal it for me. The pain was starting to annoy me!" he replied, stretching his healed leg.

"Miltanks know how to use Heal Bell?!" said a gobsmacked Ally. "I never knew that, and I bet my parents never knew either!"

"I knew!" piped up May, who was feeling slightly ignored.

"Wow, first a Tauros knows Psychic, and now a Miltank knows Heal Bell! This is amazing!" gushed Ally, and she ran across the barnyard into the house. Drew and May stayed behind.

"It is great news that your leg is better, Drew!" said May. She sat down on a bale of hay.

"It's nothing. Anyway, how's your cold after being in the snow?" asked Drew as he sat down next to her.

"Oh, it's... it's... ATCHOO!" sneezed May. Drew laughed, and flicked his hair.

"All better, I see!" he said playfully.

"I guess my cold will take a while to go away..." muttered May.

"I hope it'll be gone soon. I don't want you sneezing all over my stuff," said Drew, smirking. May punched him lightly on the shoulder.

"Why do you have to me so mean?" she asked, but not seriously. She rested her head on his shoulder. Drew felt his face grow hot.

"It's part of my charm," he said, flicking his hair. He turned to face May, and saw that once again, their faces were very close. Closer than the last time. They came closer and closer until...

"STAMPEDE!"

A voice yelled from the distance. A herd of Tauros came running towards Drew and May.

"RUN!" yelled Drew, grabbing May. They ran inside, away from the rampaging pokemon. Gasping for breath, Drew and May turned around. Ally, Natalie, Fifi and Ellie were all staring at them.

"Wh-what?" asked Drew nervously. Fifi smiled airily.

"Oh, nothing..." she said happily. She turned to her mother. "Mom, I'm going out to meet my boyfriend. You know, there's love in the air. I thought we should meet tonight."

Fifi went upstairs to change out of her overalls.

"Wh-what did she mean with love?" questioned May anxiously.

"Nothing!" said Ally quickly. "Go and sit down, dinner's ready."

Drew and May sat down, a bit freaked out by the way Ally's family was acting. Natalie placed bowls of fruit in front of everyone.

"Tomato soup, everyone! Dig in!"

May ate her dinner quickly, and so did Ally. Ally led May upstairs into her bedroom.

"Well?" said Ally after she closed the bedroom door.

"Well... what?" asked May, confused.

"Did you kiss!?!?"

"WHAH!?" yelled May in shock. She fell off the chair she was sitting on, and landed with a thump on the hard wooden floor.

Downstairs, Drew heard the thud above him. He crept upstairs to see what happened. He could hear voices coming from Ally's bedroom. Drew froze in his tracks when he heard what the voices were talking about.

"Well, did you?" questioned Ally, helping May up.

"Of course we didn't! What made you think that?"

Ally shifted around on the bed. "Well, you were both sitting close to each other, your head was on his shoulder..."

"You were spying on us?" said an outraged May.

"Mom, Ellie and Fifi were too..." muttered Ally guiltily.

"Well, we didn't kiss, and we never will. I don't even like Drew. I like him as a friend, but just that. The end!" said May, her face red with frustration.

"Oh..." muttered a disappointed Ally.

"If you don't mind, I'll go to bed now," said May huffily.

Drew had barely a seconds warning. He jumped away from the door and into an empty room just as May opened the door and stormed off to her shared bedroom.

Drew gently closed the door of the random guest room he had hid in. He slid down the door, his heart falling down with it. So May didn't like him.

'Why are you so disappointed?' sneered T.A.V (The Annoying Voice)

'I thought she might like me...'

'Why d'you care? You don't like her, do you?

'Maybe I like her more than I realise...'

'Ah! Finally!'

'What?'

'You're admitting that you like her!'

'Oh, fine. I do like her a bit. But not a lot!'

'So, why the long face?'

'Huh?'

'It's an expression.'

'Oh. Well, I guess I thought she might like me a bit...'

'Dude, romance is a complicated thing.'

'This isn't romance! It's just a harmless... crush.'

'Ooh, you're definitely admitting that you like her!'

'Yes, I am, Steve.'

'Steve?'

'Well, I have to call you something.'

'What's wrong with T.A.V.?'

'It isn't a real name!'

'But why Steve?'

'Random name, really.'

'Uh, Steve is an okay name.'

'I can't believe I'm naming myself...'

'Whoah, you are one crazy dude.'

'Thanks, Steve.'

'Anytime. Anyway, what are you going to do about the May situation?'

'Nothing. I'll act as if nothing has happened. Because nothing _has _happened.'

'But-!'

'Shut up, Steve. I'm tired, and I want to sleep.'

'Fine.'

Steve poofed off to somewhere. Drew sat in the empty guestroom, thinking about what he just heard May saying. Did she really mean that? Or was she just covering up her embarrassment?

Drew shook his head vigorously, and got up. He wandered back to his room, where he found May reading in her bed.

"Oh, hi!" she greeted, looking up from her book.

"Hey," replied Drew, a little coldly.

"Where've you been?" asked May, peering at him.

"Downstairs," muttered Drew, still acting rather coldly.

"Oh..." replied May, not sure what to say. Drew took off his jacket and got into bed. He turned his back away from May, and didn't talk to her at all. May felt hurt and confused.

"Drew?" she asked softly. "Are you okay?"

Drew muttered something about being tired, so May let him be. She went back to her book (which was Beautifly and the Beast) until she heard Drew's breathing becoming deeper; he was asleep. May closed her book and put it on the bedside table, and switched off her lamp. In his sleep, Drew turned around, facing May. May gazed into his face. His soft, light hair was covering his eyes, so she couldn't see them. She continued to stare at him, then sighed deeply.

'He's so handsome when he's sleeping...' she thought dreamily to herself. She then shook her head.

'Wait, what am I thinking? Drew's my friend, and nothing more than that!' she thought firmly. She snuggled into her pillow, and fell asleep. Her dreams were about all the things she loves; chocolate, cookies, cake, Pokemon, her friends, family... and Drew. The thing is, May never remembers her dreams.

-----

Drew was wide awake. He'd pretended to fall asleep so that he didn't have to talk to May. When he saw May gaze at him, his heart leapt. Did that mean she liked him?

Once Drew was sure May was asleep, he swung himself out of the bed. He crept to May's side, and places a single red rose next to her, on the pillow. He smiled to himself as he slid back between his sheets. In a matter of minutes, he was fast asleep, dreaming peacefully.

-----

Drew and May's pokemon were all in the back garden at ten minutes to midnight.

"Bulba? Saur!" (Ready? Ok, let's do it!)

All the pokemon nodded, and ran to their positions. Operation Drew&&May was go.

Bulbasaur stood beneath Drew and May's bedroom window. It took a deep breath, and began its Bulbabye.

"Bulba Bulba Bulba Bye! Bulba Bulba Bulba Bye!" sang Bulbsaur beautifully.

Upstairs, Drew yawned and stretched. He looked around the room sleepily, trying to work out where the strange melody was coming from.

"Bulba... Bulba..." came a pure voice from outside. Drew, who was a bit confused, went to the window and peered out. There was nothing to be seen but darkness.

Drew looked down at May. The moonlight was cast over her face, showing her pretty face.

"Whoah..." said Drew softly, transfixed to May's beauty.

"BULBA! BULBA BULBA BYE!" yelled the voice from outside.

"Is that... May's Bulbasaur?" wondered Drew to himself. Wanting to find out, he pulled on his jacket and slowly crept out of the room, trying not to disturb May's dreams.

"Bulba..." sang the voice.

Drew tiptoed down the stairs and out of the house. Snow was fluttering gently around him, landing delicately on the grass.

"That's odd," muttered Drew. "It wasn't snowing before..."

Drew looked around the garden, trying to find the Bulbasaur. Suddenly, the singing stopped, and something new joined the fluttering snow around Drew. Pink petals were floating around in the air.

"Huh?" said a bewildered Drew. Feeling slightly freaked out, he ran back into the house and up the stairs.

"May!" whispered Drew once he was by May's bed. "May, wake up!"

May mumbled something about 'five more minutes, Mom', and continued to slumber.

"May!" said Drew, louder this time. May woke up with a start.

"Whah?"

May looked up at Drew, who was leaning over towards her.

"May, there's something weird going on outside," said Drew quietly. "Come on."

He started to leave the room, but May was still in her bed, refusing to move.

"I don't like the dark, Drew..." she whispered, her eyes wide.

"What? You went out to a blizzard in the middle of the night!"

May cowered in her bed. "But that was different..."

Drew took a hold of May's hand gently.

"I'll look after you," he said, smiling softly. May smiled back, and let him lead her out of the room.

They snuck out of the house together. May's eyes lit up when she saw the snow and petals dancing in the light breeze.

"It's so beautiful!" she breathed, gazing around the garden. She turned back to Drew, who had now let go of her hand. "What is it?"

Drew looked around. "I don't think this is normal. I have a feeling the pokemon are up to something."

May laughed. "Suspicious Drew, as always!"

Drew flicked his hair, and led May out of the garden. It wasn't snowing at all on the barnyard.

"That's weird..." muttered Drew, peering around.

"Drew, look!" gasped May, pointing to the ground. There was a long trail of pink petals leading to the fields. May shrugged, and started to walk along it.

Drew followed anxiously. "We better be careful..."

May laughed. "Drew, it's just the pokemon, probably!"

She started to run down the path of petals, with Drew following closely behind her. They entered into a small paddock.

The paddock was no ordinary paddock. The grass was beautifully covered by snow, and petals were cascading around wildly. In the middle was a magnificently carved bench. May approached the bench cautiously. Drew stood next to her.

"Ok, I'm totally freaked out," he mumbled.

"What's that?" gasped May, pointing behind them. Drew turned around, and saw a silver light suspending in mid air, a few metres away from the paddock. The silver light started to approach quickly, and it knocked Drew and May onto the bench with a strong gust of wind.

"What was that?!" questioned a dazed Drew. He sat up more comfortably on the bench. He felt May's head resting on his arm.

"Whatever it was, it was scary," whispered May softly. "I'm tired..."

May snuggled into Drew's arm, and fell asleep, snuffling in her sleep. Drew took off his jacket and gently wrapped it around her to keep her warm. Drew rested his head on May's hair, and also fell asleep.

In the bushes behind Drew and May were the pokemon.

"Skit Skit!" (Do they like each other!?)

"Ros Ros!" (No doubt about it!)

Munchlax came running over.

"Munch?" (Did they kiss?!)

"Masq..." (No...)

"Beauti Beautifly!" (But they acted really sweet!)

"Squirt!" (I wonder what would happen to us if they got together...)

"Eve?" (What do you mean, Squirt?)

"Squirt Squirtle!" (Don't call me that! What I mean is if they get together, they wouldn't compete against each other in competitions anymore.)

"Flygon?" (Won't they?)

"Squirtle Squirt! Squirt!" (Of course not! They wouldn't want to battle each other anymore, so we would be useless to them!)

"Eve...?" (And then what'll happen to us?)

"Squirt." (Released.)

The pokemon gasped.

"T-tent? Tentacruel!" (R-released? B-but I just got caught, and I want to compete!)

"Ros Roselia?" (Err, how did you get in this bush, Tentacruel?)

"Tent." (It took a while to squeeze in here, I can tell you that!)

"Eve?!?" (Don't you care about what's going to happen to us?!)

"Skitty Skit!" (May would never release us!)

"Abs Absol!" (Neither would Drew!)

"Munch Munchlax!" (Anyway, if you ask me, I don't think that they would stop competing in contests just because of a silly crush.)

"Abs Absol!" (Blubber Boy has a point!)

"Munch!" (Hey, stop being mean! Oh, wait! You just complimented me! And insulted! Complinsult?!"

"Masq..." (Okaii...)

"Butter Free!" (I think we should stop them falling in love with each other!)

"Bulba!? Bulba Saur!" (What?! But I sang my Bulbabye perfectly, and did a pretty darn good petal dance to get them here!)

"Squirt!" (And I used blizzard to get the snow!)

"Beauti Beauti!" (And I used that Silverwind to push them on the bench!)

"Flygon!" (I carried that bench to the paddock!)

"Magi!" (Ebay!)

Everyone ignored Magikarp's strange reply.

"Flygon Fly!" (Drew would be heartbroken if he couldn't compete in contests anymore!)

"Munch?!" (But why?!)

"Fly Fly!" (He wouldn't enter, in case he beat May or something.)

"Munch..." (Ohhh...)

"Butterfree? Free!" (Who agrees with me?)

The others nodded.

"Masq!" (Let's stop them liking each other!)

Once again, the pokemon high fived each other, and scattered.

-----

Something wet and cold nudged Drew's face.

"I'll wake up next month..." muttered Drew, pushing whatever that was poking him away.

"ABSOL!" (GET UP, YOU LAZY... THING!!)

Drew jumped up in shock. May, who had fallen asleep on his arm, fell off the bench.

"Whah!" she yelled, landing in the grass with a soft thud.

"Absol, don't do that!" said Drew, frustrated.

"Abs Absol! Absol." (Eheh, whoops. Anyhoo, that girl you hang out with is looking for you.)

"Ally?" asked May, brushing dirt off her knees. "What time is it!?"

Drew looked at his watch. "Uh, 10 a.m."

"What?!" gasped May, alarmed. "Ally must've been worried about us!"

"Damnit..." said Drew, grabbing May's wrist. "Come on!"

They ran back to the house, Absol following them quietly.

'I really can't bear to do this, but this is for Drew!' thought Absol. He powered up his tail, and used Iron Tail right on Drew's arm.

"Hey, Absol, watch it!" yelled Drew, grabbing his injured arm. May felt her arm fall by her side limply as Drew let it go.

"Absol." (My bad.)

'I don't know if I can do this to them...' thought Absol, sighing. He trotted up the garden path and into the kitchen.

"Abs Absol!" (Hey, I found them!)

Ally's mother got up from her seat.

"Thank goodness you're safe!" she cried, hugging both Drew and May. "We were so worried when we found you out of your beds!"

Drew shuffled uncomfortably.

"Well, we heard something weird outside in the middle of the night, so May and I went outside to check what it was..." muttered Drew.

"What did you do!?" asked Ally eagerly.

"N-nothing!" stuttered May, blushing heavily. "We just fell asleep outside, that's all!"

"Aww, so you don't lov- OUCH!" yelped Ally, grabbing her foot. Absol withdrew his claws.

"Abs." (Whoops, I slipped.)

Drew sighed angrily. "Absol, can't you stop hurting people for one minute?"

"Drew, don't shout at Absol..." said May softly, looking up at Drew.

Absol stretched out his claws and scratched May on the leg.

"Hey, Absol, stop it!" said May, leaning over to tend to her scratched leg.

"Abs." (No.)

"Absol, go outside, NOW!" yelled Drew, pointing to the door. Absol slunk out of the kitchen, drooping.

'Butterfree didn't say anything about Drew being mean to me...' thought Absol sadly as it left the house. Drew slammed the foor behind it. Absol broke into silent tears.

'Abs Absol!" (I want my old Master back! I want to enter competitions, not be released!)

Absol sobbed quietly, and slunk away into the distance, tears falling behind it.

Back inside the house, Drew was still fuming.

"What's wrong with that thing?" he asked furiously, pacing the kitchen.

"Drew, calm down..." said May softly, still rubbing her leg.

"But Absol hurt you deliberately! It's not right!" said Drew angrily.

"Drew, sit down, and have some breakfast!" said Natalie firmly. She sat Drew down by the table, and placed a bowl of fruit salad in front of him. May sat down next to him, and also received a bowl of fruit salad.

"Some Mareep gave birth this morning, so Mom and I are off to help the others. Will you be alright on your own?" asked Ally, pulling on her boots.

Drew remained silent, so May answered for him.

"Yes, we'll be fine," she said, trying to smile.

"Don't leave the house, alright?" said Natalie, looking firmly at the two youngsters.

"We won't, promise!" said May as Ally and her mother left the house. She turned back to Drew.

"Drew, are you alright?" asked May softly.

"No," muttered Drew, staring at a banana in his fruit salad. "Absol hurt you, May, and I don't know why."

"It doesn't hurt, Drew! Honestly!" lied May.

"May, why do you have to be so modest all the time?" asked Drew angrily, looking up at her. "Sometimes you amaze me that you can win contests!"

May got up suddenly, knocking her chair over.

"Why do you have to be so mean?"

She stared at Drew for a moment, but Drew looked away. May stormed out of the kitchen and up the stairs. Drew remained in his chair by the table, his head in his hands. He thought furiously to himself.

'I'll have to kill Absol for this!' he thought angrily, running his hands through his hair. Drew got up from his chair, and opened the back door.

"Absol? Where are you?" he called to the barnyard. No response.

"Absol, come here NOW!" yelled Drew angrily. A quivering Absol came walking towards him, snuffling. Drew saw that his Absol was quite upset, so he lowered his voice.

"Absol, why did you hurt me, Ally and May?" he asked softly, leaning over.

Absol sniffed sadly, and opened his mouth to reply.

"Butter Butter, Free!" (We'll tell you why!)

A large group of Drew and May's pokemon came marching over.

"Masq Masq Rain!" (You were going to disown us if you fell in love with May!)

Drew was completely bewildered.

"What? Why would we disown you?"

"Squirt Squirtle!" (Because you and May wouldn't want to fight each other in contests, and you would release us to the cold, harsh world!)

"But who said I was in love with May?!"

Roselia blushed.

"Ros, Ros..." (Well, uh, I thought you were...)

"What made you think that?"

"Roselia, Ros..." (Well, you kept having sweet moments... really sweet...)

Drew laughed and picked up his Roselia.

"I'd never disown you, however annoying you can be!"

Absol sniffed sadly. Drew looked at him.

"Absol, were you trying to get me and May to fight?"

Absol nodded slowly, avoiding Drew's eyes.

"Who told you to do that?"

Butterfree zoomed off into the distance.

"I'll deal with Butterfree later, then."

Bulbasaur looked up at Drew, it's eyes wide.

"Bulbasaur, May wouldn't disown you, Squirtle or any of her other pokemon!"

"Bulba?" (R-really?)

"Of course not! You were idiotic to think that!"

Bulbasaur grinned sheepishly.

"Bulbasaur Bulba Saur?" (Do you and May... like each other?)

Drew shook his head.

"Nah, we fight too much. May's my friend, and nothing more than that, really."

The pokemon burst into smiles.

"Masq Masq!" (Yay, we're going to stay with our Masters forever!)

The pokemon skipped and danced merrily into the distance.

Drew shook his head, laughing. He looked up to his bedroom window.

May was peering curiously out of it, her head cocked to one side. Drew flicked his hair, and smiled slightly.

May broke into a grin. Somehow, with Drew's flick and May's smile, the pair knew they were friends again.

-----

"Whew!" said May, flopping onto her bed. "That training session wiped me out!"

Drew sank into the bed next to her, closing his eyes.

They'd just been outside, training for the contest that was taking place the next day.

"Drew? Are you awake?" giggled May, poking Drew. Drew moaned, and pushed her arm away.

"Leave me alone... sleep..." he muttered, flopping his arm back down again.

"Get off my bed, then!" laughed May, pushing him over. Drew fell off the bed, and landed on the floor with a soft thud.

"Drew?" asked May, peering down at him. Drew had fallen back to sleep. May laughed quietly to herself as she slipped off her bed. She dragged the slumbering co-ordinator to his bed, and hoisted him up onto the bed. May gently took off his jacket, and put it on the bedside table. May looked back to her own bed. It was covered in mud after she and Drew had clambered on it. Drew's bed looked so nice and clean...

Without thinking, May slipped into the bed, next to Drew. Drew felt so warm compared to May's cold skin. She yawned, and pulled off her bandana. She placed it on top of Drew's jacket, and yawned again before falling asleep.

Ally peered into the room.

"Hey, you guys awake?"

She then saw them sleeping in the bed with each other. Ally giggled to herself.

"How sweet!"

* * *

Ooh, the contest is in the next chapter! Or the one after, BAH. I don't know, this is all a one off! I have inspirations with Drew and May stories at the weirdest times, like in Geography in school. 

Teacher: ...blah blah blah... Italy... floods... San Fransisco... something about earthquakes... cheese... blah dee dee blah...

Me: HOLY MOLY, I HAVE A FABULOUS IDEA FOR A DREW AND MAY STORY!

Teacher: Pardon?

Me: Err... -Shuffles Uncomfortably- ... Tic Tacs, anyone?

Heh! Anyhoo, it's the weekend tomorrow, so I'll probably write about 3 chapters (go me!), and then practice my Welsh Test. Blah, I have no idea why I'm having a Welsh Test, seeing as I am actually Welsh. -Grunts-

* * *


	9. Chapter 9 : Miracles And Horrors

_

* * *

Disclaimer Thinga Ma Bob: Ugh, I DON'T OWN POKEMON! PLEASE, GET THAT INTO YOUR HEADS! ME NO OWN POKKEHMON! OKAY? LIVE WITH IT!!!_

I've calmed down xP

Author's Note: Good God, this is 40 pages long on Microsoft Word! It may take you a few days to read xP Remember, this is a total one-shot, so I have no idea how I'm gonna end it! Perhaps I shall kill somone... Bahah. -Harley Pops Into Mind- Nah, he's too important. Anyhoo, for those who think Drew is a bit mad in the head with Steve, he's not. I just thought Steve would add a bit of colour into this fanfic, that's all!

_

* * *

_

_May stepped onto the stage confidently._

"_Squirtle, take the stage!" she yelled happily, and threw her pokeball. The audience burst out laughing._

"_What's wrong?" asked May, peering around the crowd. Squirtle looked up at May, and started to laugh._

"_Squirtle Squirt!" it laughed, pointing at May. May looked down. She was naked._

"_Squirtle!" (How embarassing!)_

_May covered herself up quickly, and ran off the stage, her face redder than a tomato._

_Standing in the empty side-room was Harley, with May's clothes._

"_Looking for these?" he sneered, holding up May's clothes. May tried to grab them, but Harley held them up even higher. He laughed, and started to shred them up into pieces. Max, May's brother, walked into the room._

"May?" laughed Max, pointing at May. He laughed and laughed until his sides ached. May's eyes welled up with tears, and she ran out of the contest arena, sobbing. A crowd of people were chasing her as she ran into the distance...

"May, May!"

Someone grabbed May's arm.

"Leave me alone!" cried May, struggling.

"May, get up!"

May woke up with a start, breathing heavily. It was still night. For one horrifying moment, she thought she had wet herself, but it was just night sweat.

"May, are you ok?"

Sitting next to May on the bed was Drew, looking at her worriedly.

"May, what's wrong?"

May burst into tears.

"It was awful!" she cried, flinging herself into Drew's arms. Drew held her awkwardly for a minute, but then started to stroke her hair.

"Max... laughing... contests... crying... scared..." cried May, sobbing into Drew's chest.

"It's okay..." soothed Drew. After long moments of crying loudly, May eventually calmed down.

"Sorry for that..." she mumbled, wiping away her tears.

"S'okay," said Drew truthfully. He flicked his hair. "All this stress of the contest must've been getting to you. Maybe it'd be better for you to go back to your own bed now..."

May suddenly clung to Drew's arm fearfully.

"I don't want to..." she whispered, looking up at Drew with her big, sapphire eyes.

"Oh, okay..." sighed Drew, allowing May to slip back between the sheets. "No more nightmares, ok?"

May laughed feebly. "I'll try!"

May snuggled into Drew's arm, and fell asleep in a matter of minutes. Drew stared up to the ceiling, thinking hard.

'Contest tomorrow...' he thought, sighing. He looked down at May, who was now sleeping peacefully instead of thrashing about.

'What if you're against her?' asked Steve.

'I'll battle her normally.'

'Will you? Seeing as you like her now...'

'God, am I turning into a schizophrenic?' (A/N: I have no idea if I spelt that right!)

'Nah, I'm just your conscience!'

'You are? I thought you were my inner-mind!'

'No, Billy's your inner-mind.'

'Schizophrenia...'

'No, this happens to people when they fall in love!' said Steve firmly.

'Love!? This is a harmless crush!'

'Eh, I love it when you admit it that you like her...'

'But I don't love her, though!'

'You can never be too young, you know...'

'I'm concentrating on contests now, not romance. Ok?'

'Fine then, Mr Dull.'

Steve poofed off somewhere. Drew sighed again, and turned over in his bed. His face was now deep in May's hair. He loved the smell of May's hair; honeycomb. He twirled her hair around her finger. He twirled it slower and slower, until, he fell asleep.

-----

Outside Ally's house was a Meowth, peering up to Drew and May's bedroom window.

"I wonder if dat twerp is in dere..." he wondered to himself. A young woman with long, pink-purple-red hair came walking towards

"Where's James?" questioned Meowth the minute he noticed the woman.

"Urgh," moaned Jessie, flopping down beside Meowth. "He was acting all weird, so I left him somewhere in the field with his over-affectionate Cacnea."

"I noticed dat too. What's wrong with him, anyways?"

Jessie grunted. "I don't know."

There was a moment of silence.

Meowth pointed up to the windows.

"I tink dere's a twerp in dis house!" he announced.

"Really?" asked Jessie, surprised. "I thought they were in Sinnoh!"

"Nah" said Meowth, shaking his head. "Dat really short twerp in da glasses and de twerp you battle against in contests stayed at home. I guess dat de May girl went to de Johto."

"But how did we end up in the Johto?!" asked Jessie, pounding the grass with her fists. "We're supposed to be catching that Pikachu!"

"Relax!" soothed Meowth. "Dose twerps are still on deir way to Sinnoh! We can catch up with dem in our balloon!"

Jessie groaned. "I saw a Slowpoke going faster than us the other day!"

"Ah!" said Meowth, standing up triumphantly. "I bought a rocket booster, so dat we can catch up with dem easily!"

Jessie narrowed her eyes curiously. "Where do you get all this money to buy these things?"

Meowth sweatdropped.

"I have no idea!" he admitted truthfully. "Blame de editors!"

They both sighed, and Jessie turned to look behind her.

"Where is James?" she asked, peering into the darkness. "I'm getting worried..."

This time it was Meowth who narrowed his eyes.

"Worried, huh?"

Jessie quickly turned around.

"No!" she said hastily. "Stop looking so suspicious, you fat head!"

She kicked Meowth's face (A/N: As always. Poor Meowth!).

As Meowth groaned in pain, Jessie stomped into the distance.

"Dere's something wrong with Jessie and James... I wonder what..." muttered Meowth to himself, rubbing his swollen head.

-----

May woke up with the sun shining through the windows into the room. She yawned and stretched, then suddenly sat up.

"The contest!" gasped May, jumping out of bed. "I'm late!"

She yanked on her bandana, and sprinted down the stairs. In the kitchen were Ally and Drew.

"Hey, sleepyhead!" greeted Ally, handing May a bowl of porridge. "We're leaving to go to the contest in five minutes!"

May spluttered on her breakfast.

"FIVE MINUTES?" she gasped. "I haven't even groomed my pokemon!"

May rushed upstairs, forgetting about her breakfast.

"Ah, she remembers everything..." said Drew sarcastically. Ally peered at him.

"I saw you two last night!" she giggled.

Drew blushed. "D-doing what?"

"Ohhh!" gushed Ally, giggling more. "You were in each other's arms... very cute!"

Drew flicked his hair. "You watch too much TV, Ally."

Ally folded her arms. "I know what I saw, Drew!"

"Yeah?" said Drew, a bit irritated. "May slept in my bed because her bed was dirty."

"Mmm..." said Ally thoughtfully, getting up from the table. "I'm off to the contest. Coming?"

Drew shook his head. "I think I'll wait for May."

Ally shrugged. "Okay."

She gathered her pokeballs, and left the house. May re-appeared in the kitchen with very high-polished pokeballs.

"Done!" she said happily. "My pokemon's coats are all nice and sleek!"

"Come on, we'd better leave. Ally's already left," said Drew, opening the back door.

May stashed her pokeballs in her bag, and left the room with Drew.

"It's gotten warmer, hasn't it?" commented May, smiling. The snow had long melted, and flowers were sprouting everywhere.

"Have you decided which pokemon you're going to use yet?" asked Drew, as they set off.

May's smile slid off her face.

"Well, no, I haven't..."

"What!?" said a shocked Drew. He looked seriously at May. "May, you have to choose now!"

"Well, I was thinking about using Blaziken in the appeals round..." mumbled May. Drew nodded.

"... and Tentacruel in the battle rounds!"

Drew almost fell over.

"That monster?" he gasped. May folded her arms.

"Tentie isn't a beast, you know!"

"Tentie?" sneered Drew.

"Well, Tentacruel is a long name, so I'm calling it Tentie!" said May firmly.

"That thing tried to kill me!" said Drew reproachfully.

"It was trying to hug you!" protested May.

"With poison tentacles?!" retorted Drew, gesturing wildly.

"Yeah, well..." mumbled May.

"Use that thing in the contest, and you'll never get past the first round!" sneered Drew, flicking his hair. May fumed.

"Fine! I've changed my mind!" she said through gritted teeth.

"Good," retorted Drew.

"I'll use it in the Appeals round instead!"

Drew sighed.

"May, I'm trying to help you. You won't get past with Tentacruel!"

But May wouldn't change her mind.

"You'll see, Drew!" she said confidently as they entered Cherrygrove.

Drew glanced around.

"Where's the arena?" he asked questiongly. A teenage girl ran up to Drew, giggling madly.

"Are you Drew?" she giggled. Drew looked a bit shocked.

"Err, yes," he replied, still surprised.

"Will you sign this for me, please?" giggled the girl, holding up a picture of Drew.

"Uh, sure!" said a dazed Drew. He quickly signed the photo, and the giggly girl scurried away.

"Oho!" said a fruity voice from the shadows. "Signing autographs, are we now, Drewie?"

Harley emerged from the shadows, smirking.

"Oh, it you," snarled May. "What are you going to do today, strangle me so that I can't compete?"

Harley laughed coldly. "That isn't a bad idea, girl! No, I have another plan."

He grabbed May's arm and started to drag her away. There was a mad glint in Harley's eyes, one that neither Drew or May had ever seen before. May tried to struggle, but Harley wouldn't let go.

"Hey!" yelled Drew angrily. He jumped between Harley and May, so that Harley let go of May.

"Oh, trying to save your little girlfriend, hmm, Drewsie?" sneered Harley.

"Don't you dare hurt May," snarled Drew. Harley stood up straight.

"Wait, don't tell me!" he gushed. "You two are dating!?"

Drew flicked his hair. "That isn't your business."

"Oh, is isn't it? You puny twerp..." growled Harley, rolling up his sleeves.

"There he is!" called a male voice from behind Drew and May. Turning around, Drew saw a tall man with a white beard running up at them. He was wearing a white sailor's cap and a blue jacket.

"That's the guy who damaged our ship!" yelled the man.

"Whah?" gasped Harley in a fake way. "Me?"

"Yeah, you!" grunted the sailor. "We saw you on CCTV cameras! You were forcing your Cacturne to damage a fence, causing a young girl and boy fall in!"

Drew decided not to say that the young girl and boy were actually him and May.

"And that's why you're under arrest, buddy!" growled the sailor. An Officer Jenny handcuffed Harley.

"What? But I'm in a contest!" wailed Harley as Officer Jenny dragged him away.

"Oh, you don't have to worry about that!" said Jenny. "You're automatically disqualified!"

"But what about my pokemon?" said Harley desperately, struggling to get away.

"We're taking away your Trainer License, and your pokemon. You were abusing your Trainer Rights," said Jenny triumphantly.

"But I'd never mistreat my darlings!" protested Harley.

"Oh! That's where you're wrong!" called the sailor. "A fellow sailor overheard you forcing your Cacture to obey you! And if it didn't, you said you wouldn't feed it for a month!"

"This isn't FAIR!" screamed Harley, as Officer Jenny dragged him out of view.

Drew turned to May. She was sitting on the ground, breathing heavily.

"Are you okay?" asked Drew, as he helped her up. May was still trembling.

"I never knew Harley would be that desperate to win..." she whispered.

"Hopefully he'll be locked up now," said Drew in a reassuring voice. May smiled feebly at him.

"Thanks for saving me, Drew," she said softly. Drew shrugged.

"It was nothing..." he said, blushing lightly.

May sat down on a bench behind them. Drew sat down closely next to her. Once again, May rested her head on Drew's arm. The crowd that had been watching Harley's arrest had long disappeared, leaving Drew and May on their own.

"It was really brave of you, Drew," said May quietly. She looked up at Drew, and saw, once again, they were very close to each other. May blushed lightly, and turned away.

'Damnit!' thought Drew.

'Disappointed, are we?' sneered Steve, but Drew ignored him.

"Omigosh, it's DREW!" yelled a squealing voice from behind Drew. Turning quickly to the source of the squeal, he saw a gang of teenage girls running to him.

"Get him!" yelled the giggly girl from before. The girls ran towards Drew, their lips outstretched.

"Ahh!" yelled Drew, and he quickly got up, grabbing May at the same time.

"Huh-?" said May, before being dragged off by Drew. Frantically, they both ran as fast as possible from the giggly teenage girl. Drew quickly pressed May onto a wall in an alley. The herd of girls zoomed past them and out of sight.

"Whew..." panted Drew, looking up. And, yet again, his face was very close to May's. May turned her face away.

'For Pete's SAKE!' grunted Steve.

"No..." muttered May softly, shaking her head.

Drew understood what she meant.

"Doesn't feel right in a filthy alley filled with garbage, does it?" he said quietly, smiling softly. May laughed feebly.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," she said coyly. She slid out of the alley, with Drew following closely behind her.

"If those whack girls come again..." said May, turning to Drew, "I'm sure Tentacruel would be happy to meet them."

Drew laughed as they entered the Contest Arena. They approached the front desk, where a pretty young woman in a red and blue uniform smiled up to them. A name-tag on her chest said that her name was Miranda.

"Hello!" she greeted, nodding. "Are you here to enter the contest?"

"I sure am!" said May eagerly.

"May I see your Contest Pass?"

May dug into her bag, and pulled out a small credit card-like object.

"Here it is!" she said happily, handing it to the woman.

"Oh..." sighed Miranda. "This is a Kanto Pass. I'm afraid you can't enter with it."

"Is it possible to get a Johto Pass?" asked May quickly. The young woman shook her head sadly.

"I'm afraid you are too late. I just gave the last one to a young girl with brown hair," she said, looking a bit guilty.

"Ally!" muttered Drew from the shadows. Miranda looked up.

"Are you entering the contest, too?" she asked, as Drew emerged from the darkness.

"Yes. But apparently, you don't have enough Passes for May and I," said Drew darkly. He flicked his hair. "I guess we'll have to leave..."

"Wait! If I write down your names, maybe I'll get special permission from the judges to let you enter," said Miranda, smiling kindly.

"That would be great!" said May happily. "I'm May, and this is Drew."

Miranda dropped her biro.

"D-Drew? The co-ordinator?" she gushed. She produced a photo of Drew from her pocket. "Can I please have your autograph?!"

Drew sighed, and reluctantly signed it. He leaned on the table.

"So, are we allowed to enter?"

Miranda sweatdropped. "Oh, yeah! I forgot! Just wait one moment!"

She rushed through a side-door, leaving Drew and May alone in the welcome hall.

"Well, I hope we get in!" said May hopefully, looking up at Drew. Drew swiftly flicked his hair with his fingers.

"Why do always do that?" questioned May curiously, peering into Drew's face.

"Do what?" asked Drew, an innocent look on his face.

"You know!" teased May, giggling. "That flicky thing!"

Drew flicked his hair again absent-mindedly.

"Yeah, that!" pointed out May, grinning.

"Oh, this?" teased Drew, flicking his hair over-enthusiastically.

Happily tottering across the hall was the Shuckle that May tripped over, a few days before.

"Shuck Shuckle!" (Okay, so maybe barnyard walks aren't for me! But nothing bad can happen in a contest!)

May laughed at Drew childish antic.

"No, it's more like this!" she grinned, pushing Drew's fringe aside roughly. May must've pushed a bit too hard, because Drew staggered backwards and toppled over the unsuspecting Shuckle, pulling May down with him.

"... Shuck Shuck!" (... See ya!)

The Shuckle quickly sped out of the room, leaving Drew and May in a heap on the floor.

May looked up at Drew. Shuckle had squirted some Juice at Drew, so his hair was sticking to his face, and bushy on the top.

"You look like a mop!" laughed May, rolling on the floor. Drew quickly shaped his hair back into shape.

"Yeah?" he teased, poking May. May laughed even more.

"Ahem!" said a voice from the side-door. Drew and May quickly sat up. Miranda was standing in the doorway, peering down at the two juice-covered youngsters.

"What were you doing down there?" she asked curiously. May stood up, brushing herself down.

"We were... err..." she stuttered, blushing.

"Long story," finished Drew, who had gotten up from the now-sticky floor. He flicked his hair, which was still a bit damp. "Are we allowed in the contest?"

Miranda smiled happily. "Yes!"

May squealed delightedly.

"I'd hurry now, the contest is starting soon!" warned Miranda, but May had already sped off through the side-door.

"Eager," explained Drew desperately to Miranda's confused expression. "Well, thanks."

Drew jogged after May into the side-room. The room was full of co-ordinators.

A girl with long, violet pleated hair was desperately trying to train her Dratini.

"Dratini, listen to me!" she pleaded. The Dratini, though, was happily embracing itself around an Arbok.

"Arbok, stop making kissy faces!" commanded a boy with floppy brown hair. He looked up at Drew.

"Love!" he sighed, smiling feebly at Drew. Drew nodded back, and continued to peer around the room.

A girl with very long dark red hair was grooming her Slowking gently.

"Are you looking forward?" she asked her Slowking eagerly while polishing it's shell-hat.

"Slow King!" said the Slowking, nodding happily. The girl laughed. She looked up at Drew, who was staring at her in disbelief.

"Drew!" she gasped, getting up and dropping the cloth she was using to polish Slowking.

"Hey, Soledad," said Drew quietly, flicking his hair. He looked up her. "I see your Slowbro has evolved into a Slowking."

Solded nodded. "I know, I'm really proud."

Drew looked away. "Well, I'll see you in the contest."

He walked away, his hands in his pockets. Drew hadn't quite forgiven Soledad for telling May in the Kanto Grand Festival that he had gotten feelings for her.

'Well, she was right...' mumbled Steve.

'Small feelings. Feelings smaller than your IQ,' insisted Drew.

"Hey, you just dissed yourself!' teased Steve.

'Ugh, shut up.'

He shrugged Steve away, and continued to search for May.

"Typhlosion! Get back here!" Drew heard someone yell. A Typhlosion rushed past Drew, fear in its eyes.

"Typhlosion!!" yelled the voice again, from behind Drew. Turning around, Drew saw a boy around his age, maybe a bit older. His floppy black hair covered half his dark eyes. His skin was oddly pale and ghostly. His white t-shirt and black, casual waistcoat were scorched by the flames his Typhlosion was producing. The hem of his long, black combats were trailing on the floor, worn away from being trodden on so often. The boy stared straight into Drew's eyes for a moment.

"What are you looking at?" he asked furiously. Sighing in an irritated way, the boy ran off after his Typhlosion, his feet pounding the floor as he ran.

"What's his problem?" wondered Drew to himself quietly, turning around. He banged straight into May.

"Hey!" greeted May. "Where were you?"

Drew got up from the floor, which he had toppled onto after the impact.

"Did you see that boy and his Typhlosion?" questioned Drew, as he and May went back to the corner in which May had left her Blaziken and Tentacruel.

"Yeah! He called Tentie ugly!" growled May angrily.

"No kidding!" said Drew sarcastically. May pushed him lightly on the shoulder.

"I like you better when you're nice!"

'She said that she likes you!' said Steve happily.

'Yeah, well, only in a friend-like way and when I'm nice.'

'Be nicer then!'

'...'

Drew shrugged. May had started to polish one of the big, red glowing orbs on Tentie's head.

"How about we have a quick little practice?" asked May to her Tentie. Tentie nodded eagerly.

"Tenta!"

"Tentie, use Supersonic!" commanded May, grinning. Tentie started to glow an eerie blue.

"That's not Supersonic..." muttered Drew, stepping warily away from Tentie.

A second later, Drew was thrown across the room.

"What was that?!" he demanded, getting up from a pile of PokeBlocks. May shrugged.

"I have no idea!" she admitted truthfully. She turned back to Tentie.

"What did you just do now?" asked May curiously. Tentie looked confused.

"To me," said Drew, standing beside May, "It looked like Psychic."

"Psychic?" gasped May, staring at Drew. "Really?"

Drew nodded. "That's what the Tauros did to me."

May grinned as she hugged Tentie.

"Tentie, you learned Psychic!"

"Tenta Tenta!" (Yay me!)

Tentie happily hugged May back with its tentacles.

"Tenta!"

Tentacruel reached out for Drew with one of it's tentacles, and pulled him into a tight hug as well.

"Get off me!" came Drew's muffled voice.

-----

"So, are you all ready?" said a woman cheerfully. Her light brown hair was bobbing around at her shoulders, and a white headband was trying to keep her wildly curly hair in place. She wore a lilac blouse with a tight black tank top over it, and tight black jeans. Standing beside her was a beautiful Glaceon, which was one of the newly-discovered Eeveeloutions.

"It's so pretty!" said May breathlessly, gazing at the Glaceon. Drew nodded at the woman.

"I'm Gillian, the Johto referee!" she explained to many bewildered faces. "For some reason, people keep mixing me up with my younger sisters, Vivian and Lilian. I mean, how? We wear totally different things, and out personalities so not alike!"

May laughed.

"I thought that Lilian was Vivian in my first Kanto contest!" she said. Gillian turned to look at her.

"Hmm..." she said thoughtfully. "I know where I've seen you before! The Kanto Grand Festival!"

May blushed.

"You were in the Grand Festival?" asked a surprised voice.

"She was in the Hoenn one too!" came another.

"She was in the Top 8, I saw her on TV!"

"She was in the Kanto Top 4!"

"Wow!" breathed many voices. May blushed.

"I can't believe so many people saw me..."

Drew flicked his hair.

"You're almost as popular as me!" he smirked. Soledad walked up to them.

"IT'S SOLEDAD!" screeched a voice.

"SHE WON THE FESTIVAL!"

"LET'S GET HER AUTOGRAPH!"

Soledad was chased out of the room by many fans. Drew and May sweatdropped.

"I'm actually hoping that I won't win the Johto Grand Festival..." muttered May.

"Who said you'll even get to it?" sneered Drew. May stomped off in a huff.

'NICE, NOT MEAN!' yelled Steve from Drew's mind.

'Shut up.'

-----

"Please, give a warm welcome to our first contestant, Natasha, from New Bark Town!" echoed Gillian's voice around the stadium.

The audience stared expectantly at the stage, but no one appeared.

"Natasha!" called Gillian again, peering around the stage. A small chubby man ran onto the stage, and whispered something into Gillian's face. Gillian nodded, and the chubby man rushed off again.

"Well, it seems that Natasha and another contestant, Nigel, cannot compete, because their pokemon are currently being over-affectionate with each other."

The audience broke into laughter. Gillian giggled with them.

"Anyway, first up is Jay, from Goldenrod!"

A boy with ghostly pale skin walked onto the stage, his face as moody as ever. His black hair was strewn over his eyes, but he had managed to wash t-shirt and waistcoat.

"Scyther, it's time to show your stuff!" yelled Jay, throwing a pokeball. A huge Scyther, taller than Jay, appeared after a sparkling entrance.

"Wow, it's a Shiny Pokemon!" announced Gillian from the sidelines. "This is a rare sight, people!"

Drew, who had been watching Jay from the TV in the side-room, shuddered as he thought about his recent encounter with a Scyther.

Jay clicked his hands, and Scyther immediately stuck out its blades.

"Scyther, use Rapid Spin!" he commanded. Scyther started to spin quickly, his blade-like arms still sticking out. Soon, a beautiful whistling sound was heard.

"How amazing!" commented Gillian. "Scyther is combining Rapid Spin and its blades to create a mystical noise!"

"Jay and his Scyther are obviously close to each other, or otherwise they wouldn't have been able to communicate with each other with the mere click of a fingers," said Mr Contesta from the judging panel.

"Remarkable!" said Mr Sukizo, smiling happily.

"The bond between them is just breathtaking!" said Nurse Joy.

"Scyther, use Hyper Beam!" commanded Jay over the whistling noise. Scyther, still spinning, obediently obeyed. It shot out an orange glow from its mouth, and it's blades cut it up into tiny pieces. The stage was covered by orange sparkles.

"How beautiful!" said Gillian, jumping up and down. Jay bowed, and returned his magnificent Scyther, and walked off the stage.

"It'll be hard to beat that!" exclaimed Gillian, who had now bounced back onto the stage. "Next up is Soledad, from Pewter City!"

Soledad walked onto the stage, smiling at the audience. Her long hair was cascading down her back, sweeping gently as she walked.

"Slowking, it's time to shine!" she said confidently, releasing her Slowking from its pokeball.

"Wow, folks! It's a Slowking!" gasped Gillian. "This is also a rare sight!"

The audience clapped and cheered. Soledad nodded.

"Slowking, use Psychic on yourself!" she commanded. Slowking nodded, and slowly floated up to the air gracefully.

"Now use Blizzard, and control the snow with your Psychic!" ordered Soledad, and Slowking obeyed. The snow whirled around Slowking, creating different shapes.

"Wow! Slowking is using Psychic to control Blizzard, and is creating different images with the snow! How creative!" commented Gillian. Slowpoke slowly lowered itself.

"Now use Hydro Pump on the snow!"

Slowking used Hydto Pump, and the snow evaporated. The audience cheered as rain fell down on them.

"It is interesting how Soledad and Slowking controlled the snow and created different shapes with it! Very imaginitive!" said Mr Contesta.

"How remarkable!"

"Beautiful! The bond between them is so obvious!" gushed Nurse Joy.

"What a gorgeous ending!" said Gillian, her hair slightly damp from the water. "Next up is..."

The contest continued. A girl with a Beedrill accidentally stung Mr Sukizo ("AH! Not remarkable, not remarkable!"). A chubby young girl toddled onto the stage with an Aron, but was soon dragged off by her angry mother. Dozens of co-ordinators performed, some failing miserably. Ally's Spoink performed very cutely, but unfortunately fell over and smashed its orb while hopping around adorably.

"Next is Drew, from La Rousse!" called Gillian as Drew walked onto the stage, flicking his hair. Many girls screamed from the audience how much they adore Drew, but Drew simply nodded at them.

"HE'S SO HOT WHEN HE DOES THAT!" screeched a girl. Many girls screeched in agreement.

"Girls, calm down!" said Gillian, who was irritated.

"Flygon, I choose you!" yelled Drew, releasing Flygon from its pokeball.

"Fly Fly!"

"WHAT A GORGEOUS FLYGON!" screamed another girl.

"Flygon, use Whirlwind!" commanded Drew, ignoring the annoying girls.

Flygon produced a tornado from its wings.

"Remarkable!" gasped Sukizo.

"Flygon, use Dragonbreath on the Whirlwind!"

Flygon obeyed, and the tornado was soon bright blue and flaming.

"The use of Whirlwind and Dragonbreath is amazing!" said Gillian.

"Now use Steel Wing on the Whirlwind!" yelled Drew, his hair swishing. Many girls screamed in adoration.

"Fly... GON!"

Flygon magnificently slashed the tornado with its wings, causing them to light up in blue and produce tiny flames on the tip of each wing. The audience cheered.

"Remarkable!"

"This is a contest I'll never forget!"

"This is truly beautiful!"

Drew bowed (which caused many girls to faint), and returned his Flygon after stroking it.

"Thanks Flygon," he said quietly to the pokeball. "You rest now."

From the side-room, May was watching him on the television.

"That was... amazing," she said softly to herself.

"It was, wasn't it?" said Soledad from behind her. May nodded.

"He really has come along with his pokemon," said Soledad, turning to May. "I can't wait to see you out there!"

May smiled.

"Who are you using, anyway?" asked Soledad, peering curiously at May.

"Oh, I'm using my Tentacruel!" said May happily, patting Tentie's pokeball. Soledad seemed surprised.

"I didn't know you had a Tentacruel!" she said, smiling. "I hope you do your best!"

Back on the stage, Poppy McDonald and her Nidoking bowed, and walked away.

"Wasn't that amazing?" said Gillian to the audience. "Next up is May, from Petalburg!"

May gulped. It was her turn.

She nervously stepped onto the stage, but her nervousness soon melted away. Co-ordinating was something that she loved, and there was nothing to be afraid about it.

"Tentacruel, take the stage!" she called confidently. The audience gasped, but then started to cheer.

"Well, a Tentacruel isn't a common sight in a contest!" said Gillian over the noise. "Let's see what Tentacruel has in store for us!"

May grinned at her Tentacruel.

"Tentie, use Bubblebeam!" she said, and her Tentacruel started to produce bubbles.

"What a cute nickname!" gushed a young woman from the audience, and everyone agreed.

"Now use Psychic to control them!" said May, and Tentacruel started to force the bubbles to zoom around the air.

"Well, this is similar to Soledad's performance, but this seems to be much more interesting to watch!" commented Mr Contesta, and the panel nodded.

"Remarkable!"

Tentie lay one bubble in each person's lap, and one on their heads.

"How playful!" laughed Gillian as she popped the bubbles.

"Tentie, use Ice Beam, and then Supersonic straight afterward!" called May.

Tentie nodded, and obeyed. The bubbles froze in mid air, but the Supersonic quickly shattered them all. Small snowy specks were swirling around in the air.

"That was... MAGNIFICENT!" said Gillian in pure joy. "Such moves... such combinations... I think I need to lie down!"

"The combinations were amazingly unique. For a moment, I thought that this would be similar to Soledad's performance, but it was much different, even if they used the same tactics!" said Mr Contesta happily.

"It's hard to believe that May and Tentie have gotten such a strong bond after just meeting a week or so ago!" said Nurse Joy, smiling at May.

"This is the most amazing performance I've ever seen! I've been the head of the pokemon fan club for years and years, and I used to compete in contests in my younger days, but this... this was just spectacular! I can't believe that Tentacruel had the abilities to do this in its first contest! This pokemon deserves a medal, if you ask me!"

Everybody stared at Mr Sukizo in shock. No one had ever heard him say more than a few words at a time.

"You didn't say 'remarkable'!" gasped Gillian.

"Remarkable doesn't describe it!" replied the Chairman happily.

"Well, then, May!" said Gillian, turning to May. "You should feel rather proud of yourself!"

May blushed, and quickly left the stage after returning her Tentie.

"And that concludes the appeals round!" announced Gillian. "In 15 minutes time, we'll be announcing the lucky 8 that'll be in the next round!"

The audience broke into conversation, talking about the performances they'd just seen.

"Drew was so hot, wasn't he?" squealed a teenager to her friends. They all screamed in delight.

"I'm going to marry him!" screeched one.

"I will!"

"No, I will!"

"No, me!"

"Me!"

"ME!"

"Shut up!" hissed one of the teens.

"Why should I?" snarled another.

"Drew's standing next to you!" said the first.

The second teen quickly turned around, but saw that no one was there. The group of girls giggled in delight as the other sulked.

Drew actually had overheard the conversation. He leaned on the side of the stage in the shadows, hiding himself from the hyperactive teens.

"Hey," said a soft voice from beside him. Turning, Drew saw May standing next to him.

"You were really good," she said quietly, trying not to let other people hear them, seeing that Drew was trying to hide from the squealing girls.

"Thanks," muttered Drew back. "You were great too."

May blushed, but Drew didn't notice in the darkness of the shadows.

"I hope we'll get into the next round..." she muttered to herself.

"You'll definitely," said Drew firmly. May laughed.

"You'll too," she said back.

"Omigosh, it's DREW!" screeched a female voice.

"Oh, no!!" said Drew in frustration. A huge gang of girls were running towards them. Drew quickly grabbed May (and didn't notice that it was her hand that he had grabbed), and ran to the nearest hiding place they could find.

Drew pushed May into a supply closet, and closed the door behind them.

"Whew..." he sighed in relief, as he sat down on an upturned box. May sat down next him, breathing rather heavily.

"Sorry..." she mumbled.

"About what?" asked Drew, bewildered.

"I said that I'd use my Tentacruel on them if they chased you again..."

"And?"

"I forgot to."

Drew laughed.

"Forgetful, as always," he smirked playfully. May leaned her head on his shoulder, a much different reaction than usual.

"Drew, I have something to tell you..." she said quietly, looking up at him with her big sapphire eyes.

"TYPHLOSION, NO!" yelled a voice from the arena. Drew sprang up.

"What was that?" he said quickly. He opened the door, and looked out of it.

An angry Typhlosion was standing on the stage, breathing fire at everything. The audience were running out screaming, all except for one person.

Jay was standing on the stage beside Typhlosion, trying to stop it.

"Typhlosion, DON'T!" he yelled, and threw his pokeball at him. But Typhlosion simply burned the pokeball with its firebreath. Jay had to back away from Typhlosion.

"Typhlosion's going crazy!" said Drew to May. May gasped.

"Drew, close the door!" she screamed. Typhlosion had just shot a fireball at them, narrowly missing Drew. Drew slammed the door shut, and locked it.

A loud voice over the intercom came.

"Will everyone evacuate the building. This is an emergency."

May gasped.

"Typhlosion's going to burn this place to the ground!"

Drew bit his lip, and turned to the door. It wouldn't open, even though Drew had opened the lock.

"The door's locked!" he said quietly, but fear was in his eyes. May got one of her pokeballs, and threw it. Blaziken appeared.

"Blaze!" (What's going on?)

"Blaziken, there's no time to explain," said May urgently. "Use Blaze Kick to knock down that door!"

Blaziken, of course, was confused, but did what it was told. Soon, the door had collapsed. May quickly returned Blaziken. The sight that Drew and May saw is something that would never leave their memory.

The whole arena was covered in flames, and the roof was collapsing. Typhlosion was being crushed by a fallen pillar, and was struggling to get away. The water pipes had burst, creating small ponds on the floor.

"We have to help Typhlosion!" said Drew urgently, dodging between the flames. He covered his face with his jacket, and May did the same with her bandana. Once they reached Typhlosion, they saw that it was in intense pain.

"May, get your Munchlax!" yelled Drew over the noise. May nodded, and Munchlax appeared.

"MUNCH!" (AH, FIRE!)

Munchlax started to walk around maniacally, crashing into fallen bricks.

"Munchlax, calm down!" shouted May, and Munchlax slowed down. "Move that pillar that's hurting Typhlosion!"

Munchlax nodded, and powered up its fist. It smashed through the pillar, freeing Typhlosion.

"Typh..." moaned Typhlosion, still in obvious pain. Drew ran towards it, and tried his best to soothe it.

"May, get out your Water Pokemon!" commanded Drew as the flames grew closer to them.

"Magikarp, Tentacruel, Squirtle, use all of your Water attacks on the fire!" she ordered, as the pokemon appeared from their pokeballs.

"Squirt!" (Okay!)

The Pokemon immediately got to work, even Magikarp. It helplessly used Splash, a totally useless attack.

"Squirtle!" (Get out of the way!)

But Magikarp continued to splash around happily in front of Squirtle. Squirtle lost its temper, and blasted it into the fire with a Water Gun.

"Magikarp!" screamed May into the blaze. And that's when a miracle happened.

A glow had appeared in the flames, growing larger and larger until it was about 20 feet. The glow faded away, revealing a magnificent Gyarados.

"How did that happen?!" asked Drew in surprise. Gyarados roared, and started to use Hydro Pump on the fire.

"Magikarp evolved into Gyarados?" said May quietly. She then grinned. "Gyarados! Yay!"

Gyarados roared again, and continued to spit out balls of water. Squirtle and Tentacruel, who had stopped putting out the flames to gaze at Gyarados, shook themselves, and carried on. Soon, the fire was gone.

"Thank you, guys!" said May gratefully to her pokemon. "Now, return for some rest!"

The pokemon disappeared in a red light. May looked up to grin at Drew, but Drew didn't return the smile. He was kneeling over Typhlosion, who was breathing very heavily.

"We need to get Typhlosion out of here," he muttered quietly. May nodded, and helped Drew hoist Typhlosion up. Typhlosion, of course, was much taller than them, and much heavier. May staggered under its weight, but determinedly dragged the Typhlosion with Drew through a side door.

The fresh air was so much cleaner compared to the smoky air that they had been breathing before. A huge gang of Nurse Joys, Happinys, Chanseys and Blisseys rushed towards them, hoisted Typhlosion on a stretcher, and ran off again. Drew collapsed onto the concrete ground, sweating. May flopped down between them.

"We did it..." she said weakly, smiling feebly at them. "We helped Typhlosion!"

"Saved," corrected Drew, sitting up. "C'mon, we better go and tell everyone what happened."

May got up, helping a very tired Drew up. A flash suddenly appeared in front of them, and Tentie appeared.

"Tentacruel!" said the happy pokemon, swishing its tentacles. May rushed at it and hugged it tightly.

"You were so great, Tentie!" she gushed. "In the contest and with the fire!"

Tentacruel nodded proudly.

"Tenta Tenta Tenta!"

May smiled, and so did Drew, flicking his hair.

"Tenta Tenta Tenta!"

"Okay, you can stop now..."

"Tenta Tenta TENTACRUEL!"

Tentacruel lit up a bright white.

"It's... evolving!" gasped Drew.

"But Tentacruels don't evolve!" protested May.

"Well, this one is!" replied Drew, gazing at the glowing pokemon. The glow faded, and revealed Tentacruel's new evolved form.

"Tentasha!"

The pokemon looked a bit like Gardevoir, but at its elbows, its arms split into a long black tentacle, while the other half was a normal arm. The red orbs that Tentacruel had were now at the end of the tentacles, glowing mysteriously. The pokemon had a very feminine body. Its silvery skin shone in the sunlight, and its long, blue hair was cascading down it's back. Blue armour was covering the pokemon's silver body, expect for its arms. But this wasn't all that surprised May.

"It's floating!" exclaimed Drew.

"Tentasha!" (A/N: You say Tentasha like this: Tent Ah Shah, not like the way you'd say Natasha. Okay? Right! On with the story!)

"How did Tentacruel evolve into something so... pretty?" gasped May. Tentasha lowered itself onto the ground, and ran towards Drew.

"Tent... Ah... SHA!" (Hug Hug Hug!)

Tentasha plopped itself on top of Drew, hugging him tightly. Drew, who was much shorter than Tentasha, collapsed onto a heap on the grass. May laughed.

"I guess Tentasha's still a bit over-affectionate with you, Drew!" she said cheerfully, helping Drew up. Drew brushed some dead grass off him.

"What just happened?" he asked, flicking his hair to get some leaves out.

"Tentasha just hugged you, Mr Observant!" said May, surprised at Drew's short-term memory.

"No, that's not what I meant!" flustered Drew. "What I meant was, why did Tentacruel evolve?"

May shrugged. "I don't know, but isn't it cool?!"

"No!" replied Drew instantly. "It weighs half a ton, and almost crushed me!"

May looked down sadly at her feet.

"I guess you know how Typhlosion felt when it was being crushed..." she murmured sadly. "I hope it's okay..."

Drew nodded. "I think it is."

May smiled feebly, and walked towards Drew.

"I guess we should find the rest," she said, and started to walk away. Drew followed her, making sure that he was as far away from Tentasha as possible.

"There they are!" yelled a voice once Drew, May and Tentasha went around the corner.

"Drew! May!" shouted Gillian, running towards them. She hugged them both tightly (to Drew's dismay, because he had had enough tight hugs to last an entire lifetime). "Are you okay?"

Drew nodded. "Yeah, we are. It's Typhlosion that I'm worried about."

"Me too..." said May sadly, looking down at her feet. Tentasha patted her back sympathetically.

"What is that?" gasped Gillian, staring up at Tentasha.

"It's... gorgeous!" breathed one of Drew's female fans, and everyone nodded in agreement. Mr Contesta looked seriously at May.

"May, is this your pokemon?" he asked sternly. May nodded slowly, scared that she might get in trouble for some reason.

"What is it?" asked Mr Contesta, staring up at the beautiful pokemon. May smiled weakly.

"I think it's Tentasha. It evolved from my Tentacruel, just after when we came out of the burning arena," she said, stroking one of Tentasha's arms.

Mr Sukizo gasped.

"Remarkable!" he breathed. "Tentacruel doesn't have another evolving stage!"

May nodded proudly.

"I guess mine is special!" she laughed. Drew looked seriously at her.

"You do know that this is a very serious discovery, don't you?" he said, smirking slightly. "I think Professor Birch would like to hear about this."

May opened her mouth slightly to reply, but opened it even more when she saw it. Drew noticed her eyes grow wide with shock, and turned around quickly. What met his eyes is a sight he'd never forget.

The Pokemon Centre was up in flames.


	10. Chapter 10 : Up In Flames

* * *

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon. I do own PC World though. Yeah, in my dreams! xP

Unfour's Notes: NOT THE POKEMON CENTRE!! AHH! I've had a lot of reviews that have made me feel warm and fuzzy, so here's another chapter! Will they finally kiss in this one? Dun dun dun! We shall never know, because I shall kill Drew off! Behah! No, not really xP

Enjoy!

* * *

May stared in horror at the burning Pokemon Centre. Terrified shouts from the pokemon could be heard, even though they were at least half a mile away from it. The flames reflected in everyone's eyes, as they all saw the inferno that was the Pokemon Centre.

Tentasha didn't hesitiate. It immediately zoomed off into the distance toward the Pokemon Centre, its blue hair swirling in the gust.

"C'mon!" yelled Drew loudly, and he and May started to sprint away from the shocked crowd. A few other co-ordinators followed, including Soledad and Ally. May nodded appreciatively. Jay, of course, wasn't one of them, probably because he was at the Pokemon Centre already. Another scream was heard, this time belonging to a Nurse Joy. A boy with short brown hair and a blue t-shirt suddenly came to a halt.

"I know how to get there faster!" he called to the rest. "I breed Pidgeot and Fearow, so hop on!"

He threw some pokeballs, and about 10 Pidgeot and Fearow appeared. The trainers and co-ordinators clambered onto them. Drew and May shared a Pidgeot, with Drew sitting in the front.

"Pidgeot, take us to the Pokemon Centre!" said Drew, and Pidgeot immediately responded. Flapping its large wings, Pidgeot rose up into the sky. May flung her arms around Drew, determined not to fall from such a height. The other Bird Pokemon rose with them, and they all glided to the PokeCentre.

-----

"Typhlosion, where are you?!"

A boy with ghostly pale skin fought through the flames, searching desperately for his lost Typhlosion. His eyes were wide with panic.

"Typhlosion!" he called again, but there was no sign of his Typhlosion. Jay called desperately once more, but Typhlosion was nowhere to be seen.

"Gyaaaaaaah!"

Jay looked up from his hands, in which he had buried his face into. A jet of water doused the flames, revealing a Gyarados' head.

"Gyah Gyah!" it greeted.

"Gyarados, can you see anything?" called a female voice from below. Gyarados nodded vigorously.

"Help the person or pokemon out!" yelled the voice, and Gyarados obeyed. It quickly grabbed Jay's leg with its jaw (not teeth), and carried him out of the second-floor Pokemon Centre.

"Hey, let me go, you airhead!" yelled Jay, pounding his fists on Gyarados' head.

"Gyah." (Okay.)

Gyarados dropped the struggling boy on the ground, which caused Jay to land with a soft _thud_. Jay rubbed his eyes, and saw a chocolate-haired girl peering into his face.

"It's you!" he snarled.

"Ah, it's you!" said a startled May, jumping back. Drew walked towards Jay.

"Jay, is it?" he said, nodding at Jay. "Were there any Pokemon up there with you?"

Jay shrugged. "It was too hard to see properly."

"Was it Typhlosion that did this?" asked May softly, looking deeply into Jay's eyes. Jay looked away.

"It's not your business," he muttered, starting to walk away. Drew placed a hand on his shoulder, causing Jay to stop.

"Is Typhlosion still in there?" asked Drew quietly, his hand still on Jay's shoulder. Jay nodded slowly, still refusing to look into Drew's eyes. May called her Gyarados, Tentasha and Squirtle.

"Tentasha, you help the Squirtle Squad put out the fire," she said, and Tentasha glided away. "Gyarados, you search every room by putting your head in every window."

Gyarados roared, and started its search. Squirtle looked up at May.

"Squirtle?" it asked curiously, peering at May. May picked Squirtle up in her arms.

"You go and help cool down the burnt pokemon that Nurse Joy has managed to save."

Squirtle nodded, and jumped out of May's arms, then started to run into the distance.

"Gyaaah!" roared Gyarados, and it emerged from the inferno. It was clutching something in its mouth.

"Gyaah!" it roared again, lowering, so that its head was level with May's. It dropped the body that was in its mouth gently on the grass.

"Typhlosion!" gasped Drew, walking towards the pokemon. Jay approached the Typhlosion slowly.

"Typhlosion?" he said nervously, kneeling beside the still body. "Typhlosion!"

Typhlosion remained still. Only its chest was moving, as it breathed slowly.

"Typh..." it said weakly, looking up at his Master. "Typh..."

"This looks bad..." said Drew quietly, standing beside Jay.

The fire on Typhlosion's back died down, and was soon gone. Its eyes closed slowly, and its chest stopped moving.

Typhlosion had passed away.

"Typhlosion!" said Jay, his voice cracking. He looked up at Drew, his eyes glistening. "What's wrong with Typhlosion?!"

Drew shook his head sadly. "I don't think Typhlosion managed to survive the fire. I'm sorry."

As Drew backed away, tears streamed down Jay's face. This was the first real emotion that May had seen in Jay's eyes. He buried his face into Typhlosion's soft fur, sobbing uncontrollably. May's eyes welled up with tears. The sight of a trainer grieving over his beloved pokemon is a sad one to see, almost unbearable. As a tear fell from May's eyes, she felt Drew wrap her arms around her. She cried silently into his chest, while Drew rubbed her back, trying to soothe her.

A Nurse Joy ran onto the scene, and gasped at the sight.

"Has Typhlosion...?" she asked quietly, looking at Drew. Drew nodded slowly, May still shaking in his arms. Nurse Joy looked down sadly.

Typhlosion was gone, leaving a heartbroken trainer.

-----

As the soft breeze whooshed through her feathery hair, May gazed out to the sunset. The small hill that she was sitting on was deserted, except for a few Butterfrees fluttering around above May's head.

Below her were the remains of the burnt Pokemon Centre. Every now and then, the silence would be broken by a boy's grieving howls, as he mourned over his Typhlosion. Nurse Joy had led him away from the devastation, leaving him on a bench to let tears fall out of his dark eyes. Drew, who had been searching for May for a while, came walking up behind her.

"Hey," he said softly, sitting down next to her on the grass. "I was looking for you."

May sniffed. "Well, you've found me now," she said moodily.

Drew sighed. "Look, May, this wasn't you fault. Stop being so hard n yourself."

"If only I'd seen the Poke Centre earlier... I would've seen that it was up in flames, and saved Typhlosion, Drew! Typhlosion would still be alive, and Jay wouldn't be grieving!"

May's voice had gradually gotten from a hoarse whisper to a frantic yell. While she yelled, she had sprung up onto her feet.

"May, stop blaming yourself!" said Drew angrily, also getting up.

"Why shouldn't I?!" she retorted furiously. "I could've saved that poor Typhlosion!"

"This wasn't your _fault_!" said Drew, clenching his fists. May suddenly collapsed onto her knees on the grass, sobbing uncontrollably.

"Then why does it _feel _as if it's my fault?" she cried, tears streaming like a river down her face. Drew let his fists go limp, and he knelt down beside May. He held her in his arms awkwardly, but soon, he started to feel his eyes sting.

'_No!_' he thought frantically to himself, willing for his eyes to stop welling up, but they refused. Drew felt a single tear fall from his eye, and land on May's soft, chocolate hair as she cried. Drew, who was terrified of being caught crying, quickly rubbed his eye with his hand, but this only made it redder. Another yell of despair from Jay was heard from below, and Drew felt his eyes fill up with tears again. This time, he didn't try and stop himself.

If someone saw Drew and May from behind, they'd think that they were a happy couple, gazing out to the sunset in each other's arms. But if someone saw them from the front, they'd see that they were actually incredibly upset, staring down at a large Pokemon covered by a white sheet, and a ghostly boy weeping by its side. I think that people would rather see Drew and May from behind, even if they thought that they were a couple.

-----

"Drew? May? Are you ok?" came Ally's voice from outside the bedroom door.

May buried herself deep under the bed sheets. Ally sighed, and came in anyway.

"May, there's someone to see you and Drew," she said. May remained hidden under the bed sheets, so Ally sighed again and left the room. May sat up slowly.

It had been a few hours since the fire, but it was still burning in May's memory.

Flashback 

"_Drew? May? Ally?" said Natalie's kind voice. "Where have you been?"_

_May shuffled into the kitchen, with Drew and Ally following. Ally slumped herself into a chair._

"_How was the contest?" asked Natalie cheerfully, as she set the table for dinner. Ellie, who was sitting by the table, sniffed the air._

"_What's that smell? Is it smoke?" she asked, rubbing her nose. "Ugh, I hope you haven't taken up smoking!"_

_May stared at the kitchen clock. She hadn't talked since her crying session with Drew. Drew had covered his eyes with his hair, giving a shadowy effect over his upper-face. Ally's face was pale, and she looked as if she might be sick any moment._

"_What's wrong?" said Natalie worriedly, staring at the sad faces of the young co-ordinators. "You look as if you've seen death!"_

_May burst into tears, and ran out of the kitchen. A small, glistening tear fell from the shadows of Drew's eyes as he turned away from Natalie, and also left the room. Natalie was left with Ally, who refused to open her mouth, in case she threw up. Ellie sat next to her, rubbing her back in comfort._

_Upstairs, May threw herself onto Drew's bed, and hid her head under his pillow. Drew sat down next to her on the bed, but neither talked. When May eventually withdrew herself from the pillow, she found that Drew had fallen asleep next to her. He looked exhausted, and a bit ill after inhaling so much smoke. She snuggled into his chest, even though they smelt a bit smoky. She didn't fall asleep, as the memories were still whizzing through her mind, and she felt so guilty that she hadn't been able to save Typhlosion. But she eventually saw that it was impossible for her to have saved Typhlosion; she had done things as fast as she could, and that was the best that she could do._

_End Flashback_

May felt exhausted after the long day, but, of course, didn't fall asleep. She nudged Drew, urging him to wake up, but Drew remained fast asleep. She sighed, and got out of the bed.

"There she is!" said Natalie, smiling warmly as May entered the kitchen, avoiding everyone's eyes. "Ally told me what happened. It must be very hard for you."

May nodded slowly. Standing beside Natalie was Gillian.

"Hey," she greeted, smiling weakly. "What you and Drew did back there was really brave."

May blushed lightly.

"Pokemon were in danger..." she muttered feebly.

"And you helped them," finished Gillian. She smiled. "I guess Drew has fallen asleep?"

"Not anymore," came a sleepy, but, as usual, sneering voice from the door. Turning around, May saw Drew leaning against the wall, looking intently at Gillian. His hair was ruffled, and his clothes were crumpled. He still looked slightly unhealthy after the fire, and his eyes looked tired, but somehow, he still managed to look like the normal Drew.

"Oh, you've woken up!" exclaimed Natalie. "Gillian came here to thank you!"

Drew flicked his hair, showing his eyes. They were puffy and red, and, as if he had quickly remembered about them, he swept his fringe back in front of them.

"The judges and I have decided," said Gillian, taking something out of her pocket, "that you both deserve to win the Cherrygrove Contest!"

May's jaw dropped, and Drew seemed to be surprised.

"W-what?" stuttered May, staring at the black and gold ribbons in Gillian's outstretched hand.

"No," said Drew, shaking his head.

Gillian looked at Drew in shock.

"No," repeated Drew, still shaking his head. "We don't deserve it."

May pushed the ribbon away from her.

"We don't want them."

"B-but..." said a shocked Gillian. This was the first time someone had rejected a ribbon, and she had no idea what to do.

"Give it to Jay," said Drew, walking towards Gillian and May. "He's the one that deserves it."

Gillian shook her head. "No, it's you that we want to give them to. Take them."

She pressed a ribbon into each of their hands.

"You're lucky that we had a spare ribbon, you know!" winked Gillian, and she left the room without another word. May stared at her ribbon.

"W-we won?" she asked uncertainly, looking at Drew. Drew stuffed the ribbon into his pocket.

"It doesn't feel right, but yeah, we have," he replied. He yawned. "I'm going back to bed. Coming?"

May nodded. "Yeah, okay. Goodnight, Ally!"

Drew and May went upstairs together, and into their shared room. May got into her own bed, while Drew got into his. Drew fell silent in a matter of seconds, so May snuck out of her bed, and slipped into his. She snuggled up against him, which was a habit she'd started to develop.

"Just can't help yourself, can you?" muttered Drew sleepily. May jumped.

"I didn't know you were awake!" she gasped, embarrassed.

"Please, as if I fall asleep in five seconds!" he replied, smirking. May blushed.

"I like sleeping in your bed..." muttered May, snuggling even closer to Drew.

Drew sighed. "Oh, fine. My bed is now yours."

He got up from the bed, and lay down on May's bed.

"What are you doing?" frowned May, sitting up in Drew's bed.

"Well," sneered Drew, also sitting up, "you said that you wanted to sleep in my bed, so there you go!"

"But I meant with you!" said May before she could stop herself. Drew smirked.

"Can't resist, can you?" he teased, but he went back to his own bed. May, once again, snuggled into him, and Drew reacted this time. He wrapped his arms around her, as if he were never going to let her go.

"Goodnight, May," he said softly, and May smiled up at him, before falling fast asleep. Drew laughed quietly, and also fell asleep, his head resting on May's hair.

If someone walked in and saw them in each other's arms like this, they'd think that they were a girl and boy who secretly liked each other, but didn't really know it, so neither of them knew about each other's secret feelings, and slowly, the feelings get stronger and stronger. Well, that someone would be right.

-----

"I'll see you in the next contest!" called Ally, as she and her family stood in front of their farmhouse. "I'll be there!"

May waved frantically back, grinning at the kind family.

"I'll see you soon!" she said, turning away from them. Drew flicked his hair, as if in goodbye, and also turned away.

"I'm gonna miss them..." said May quietly. She then grinned, and patted her bag. "At least we got plenty of supplies!"

Drew sighed as May tucked into a packet of marshmallows.

"Whezz fuzz cottest?" asked May in a muffled voice, because her mouth was full of sticky candy. Drew looked bewildered.

"What?"

May swallowed her mouthful, and asked again.

"Where's the next contest?"

Drew took out a small map from his pocket. May noticed he never carried a bag.

"Hmm..." he said to himself, studying the map. He pointed his finger on a town. "Somewhere called Goldenrod City."

May's eyes lit up. "I remember Ash telling me about his gym battle there! I wonder if the gym leader there still remembers him... I'll have to ask! Oh, Ash has so many things to tell people... if he made a new companion in Sinnoh, that person must really enjoy his company!"

Drew pocketed the map.

"A bit fond of Ash, aren't you?" he sneered, but on the inside, he felt a bit jealous.

"Well, he's my friend!" said May, a bit angrily. "It's hard to forget about friends, especially someone like Ash!"

"What's so special about him, anyway?" said Drew, narrowing his eyes. The envy inside of him was growing stronger.

"Well, he _was _offered a job of being a Frontier Brain," said May, rather triumphantly. Drew scoffed.

"Oh, let me guess, he turned it down?" he mocked. May glared at him.

"Obviously, or he wouldn't be in Sinnoh!" she replied, clenching her fists.

"Oh, yes, he's a clever one, turning down being a Frontier Brain," said Drew sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

"He _is _clever!" snarled May, her eyes in slits.

"Precious Ash..." spat Drew. May looked at him in disgust, and turned away, stomping away from him. Drew went off in the other direction.

"By the way," he called, looking behind him, "Goldenrod is _this _way."

May huffed, and turned around to walk behind him. They didn't talk to each other.

'Damn Ash...' thought Drew, furious with Ash for existing. 'May cares about him more than me!'

'Sounding a bit spoilt, now, aren't we?' sneered Steve.

'No! Well...'

'So, you _want _May to care about you?'

'Well, I, uh...'

'Love... Ah, how nice!'

'This is NOT love!'

'So why do you always go to sleep in each other's arms?'

'May likes it, so I let her.'

'You like it too.'

'I guess.'

'Just because I'm only a part of your brain, it doesn't mean I'm stupid. You LOVE her.'

'No I don't!'

'Yes, you do! You keep holding her in your arms, and stroking her hair...'

'Yeah, because she cries!'

'You've done it about ten times now!'

'She cries a lot.'

'You cried too, didn't you?'

'Shut up.'

'No!'

'I'll get a shrink!!'

'Whatever! Look, admit that you like her, at least!'

'I've admitted that already, idiot!'

'Oh, yeah! I forgot! Ok, admit that you have feelings for her. That's different.'

'Is it?'

'Yeah. You have STRONG feelings, man!'

'I don't! Well...'

'Yes?'

'Fine, maybe I do. But that doesn't mean anything.'

'Oh, that's where you're wrong, my green-haired friend.'

'...'

'Hello?'

'...'

'Hey, don't go all quiet on me!'

'Oh, sorry. My shrink just told me to relax my mind.'

'Sh-shrink? AHHH!'

Steve screamed, and ran off in Drew's mind. Drew laughed quietly to himself. May, who was now walking in front of him, turned and gave him a quizzical look.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing," said Drew, smirking. May sighed angrily, and turned around again.

Drew gazed at her. Her long, chocolate-brown hair blew in the light breeze. Drew longed to touch it... Wait, what was he thinking?

'You have to apologize!' said Steve, who had now come back after his screaming session. Drew sighed.

'She started it!'

'All she said was how much she liked Ash! As a friend!'

'Sounds more than 'friends' to me.'

'That's jealousy speaking.'

'I am _not _jealous.'

'Yeah... whatever. You were green with envy.'

'I'm always green. Hair!'

'It's an expression! Anyway, if you don't say sorry, I'll annoy you for the rest of your life.'

'Fine... do you promise?'

'No.'

'I'll apologize anyway.'

'Yay!'

Drew took a deep breath, and quickened his pace, so that he caught up with May.

"Here to make fun of my other friends?" she said angrily when she noticed Drew.

"No," said Drew, who had stopped walking. May turned around to face him.

"Why, then?" she snarled. Drew shuffled his feet.

"I'm here to..."

'SAY IT!' growled Steve.

"I'm here to say I'm sorry!" he said, looking up at May. May, who before looked ready to kill, now looked surprised.

"Oh..." she said in a quiet voice. She looked up to the sky, which was now dark and decorated with stars. "It's getting late."

Drew nodded. "Let's sleep out here tonight."

May took out a sleeping bag from her bag (A/N: How do they _fit _sleeping bags in such tiny things!?), and lay it out on the ground.

"How about I make some dinner?" she suggested, sitting on her sleeping bag. Drew snorted.

"Over my dead body!" he scoffed. May laughed uncertainly as she noticed that she is a pretty lame cook. "I'll make something."

Drew got up, and took two chocolate bars from May's bag.

"There you go," he said, grinning as he handed one to May. May laughed as she took it from him.

"What a fantastic cook you are!" she said playfully as she opened the purple wrapping around the chocolate.

"Mawile!" came a little voice from behind them. Turning around, they saw a cute little Mawile peering up at them.

"How cute!" said May, smiling at the tiny pokemon.

Drew leaned over at the Mawile. "Maybe Mawile would be a good pokemon in the contests..."

While he said that, Mawile quickly snatched the un-opened chocolate bar from his hands, and ran off with it into the darkness.

"Hey!" he called angrily after it, but then sighed. "My dinner has gone down the drain."

May offered Drew half of her candy bar. Drew ate his half quietly and quickly, in case another Mawile came and snatched his food. Soon, there was only one square left.

May leaned over to get the last piece, and so did Drew. If their heads had been at slightly different angles, this would have been a very romantic scene indeed. Sadly, the angles their heads were at caused them to bump their heads very hard.

"Ouch!" said May, rubbing her head.

"Are you ok?" asked Drew, who was also rubbing a lump on his forehead. "Oh, great, I've got another lump now."

May blinked blankly. "What do you mean?"

"Well, I keep getting thumped on the head by your manic pokemon..." said Drew, lowering his hands.

"I forgot about that!" laughed May. Drew suddenly snatched the remaining square away.

"Hey!" said May, trying to snatch it away from him. Drew held it high above his head.

"You want it?" he teased, waving it around. May roared playfully, and suddenly dived on top of him, attempting to get the chocolate.

"Get off me!" said Drew's muffled voice, as he struggled to get away.

"Never!" yelled May, as she scrabbled as his hand to get the chocolate. Drew quickly pushed her off, and ran off.

"Hey, come back!" yelled May, giving chase. She dived once again on him.

"It's only chocolate!" yelled Drew as she tried to snatch the chocolate.

"I... want... chocolate!" said May's muffled voice, because Drew was now sitting on her head. She pushed him off, and attempted to steal the chocolate.

The chocolate suddenly fell from Drew's hand, and landed in a deep Diglett hole.

"Aww!" said May sadly, falling to her feet. Drew laughed as he flicked his hair back into place.

"I guess Diglett is going to have a nice snack tonight!" he said, grinning. May stuck out her tongue playfully, and they went back to their little campsite.

"Drew, where's your sleeping bag?" asked May, settling into her sleeping bag. "I noticed that you never seem to have a bag."

Drew sweatdropped. "Well, I, uh... I usually sleep with my Absol as a pillow."

May stared at him as he released his Absol from its pokeball.

"Abs!" (Good morning!)

"Absol, it's night," sighed Drew.

"Absol.." (Ohh...)

Absol flopped itself on the grass, and Drew rested his head on its furry body. The cold wind blew through his thin jacket and t-shirt.

"Drew, you'll freeze!" exclaimed May, unzipping herself from her sleeping bag. She then continued to unzip it, until it was completely open, like a double-bed duvet.

"I'm fine!" said Drew, but his teeth were clattering. May laughed, and threw half of the sleeping bag over him.

"There!" she said triumphantly, as she tucked herself in beside Drew. She then shivered. "It's still a little cold..."

May suddenly sat up. "I have an idea! Blaziken, I choose you!"

"Blaze!" said Blaziken, as it emerged from its pokeball.

"Blaziken, use Flamethrower on those branches!" commanded May, pointing at a bunch of wood that had fallen from the trees. Blaziken nodded.

"Blaaaaaaze!"

The branches immediately lit up. Drew and May felt the warmth on their faces.

"Thanks, Blaziken!" said May gratefully, as the returned Blaziken to its pokeball. Drew warmed his hands in front of the fire.

"I better return Absol. It's too cold," he said, returning Absol.

"Goodnight, Drew!" said May, snuggling into the sleeping bag.

"'Night," replied Drew. May yawned, and fell asleep.

"Chocolate... get off, Drew... mine..." she muttered in her sleep. Drew laughed to himself, and then fell asleep.

-----

Team Rocket hovered in the sky, just above where Drew and May were slumbering. Their Meowth balloon had many patches in them, where Pikachu had popped them.

"Hey, it's de twerps!" exclaimed Meowth, gasping.

"Where?" demanded Jessie, as she and James turned around to look where Meowth was pointing.

"Dere, see?" said Meowth.

"But it's only that May girl, and that other twerp that always beats her in contests," said James, and Mime Jr nodded on his shoulder.

"Mime Mime!"

James face lit up.

"You are so CUTE!" he gushed, hugging the small Mime Pokemon. Mime Jr smiled adorably, and hugged James back.

"Mime!"

Jessie got out her binoculars. "I think they're sleeping..."

James popped back into reality. "Well, it is quite late at night..."

"I can't quite tell if they have any pokemon with them..." murmured Jessie, leaning over the side of the green basket. The winds suddenly decided to change direction, so the balloon gave a mighty jerk.

"Ahh!" yelled Jessie, as she toppled over the side of the basket.

"Jessie!" shouted James, diving after her. Mime Jr, Meowth and Wobuffet were left alone.

"Ok..." muttered Meowth, scratching his head. Below them, Jessie and James were still falling.

"James!" screamed Jessie, flailing her arms wildly. James stretched out his hand.

"Grab a hold!" he called, and Jessie stretched her arms as far as she could. She managed to grab his hand.

"Are we going to die?" she asked, as they continued to fall.

"Hopefully not! I haven't finished my bottle-cap collection!" replied James. Fortunately, they landed straight on top of Drew and May, if you can call than fortunate.

"GET AWAY FROM MY CHOCOLATE!" screeched May as she was woken up roughly. Drew rubbed his eyes.

"Oh, it's you guys," he muttered angrily. "I forgot that you existed."

James and Jessie sprang up to their feet.

"Prepare for trouble!"

"And make-,"

"SHUT UP!" yelled Drew and May in unision. Jessie and James looked shocked.

"That's not nice!" whimpered James.

"Well, you're not very nice people!" retorted Drew. Jessie stomped towards them.

"It isn't our fault that we fell from out balloon!" she snarled, pointing up to the night sky.

"What?" exclaimed May, staring up. Drew sighed angrily.

"I was hoping you'd have gone to Sinnoh!" he said, irritated. Jessie sweatdropped.

"We we're going to..." she said, smiling sheepishly. "But James the Genius got us lost."

"It wasn't my fault!" protested James, folding his arms. Jessie put her hands on her hips.

"You were reading your map upside down."

"Look, are you here to steal our pokemon?" said Drew, cutting to the chase.

"Well, we sort of left our pokeballs in the balloon..." muttered Jessie, shuffling her feet.

"Hey, you guys! Come on!" said Meowth's voice from behind them. Meowth had managed to land the balloon.

"Excellent, we have our pokeballs!" said James cheerfully.

"Now we can steal your pokemon!" said Jessie, throwing a pokeball. "Seviper, use Poison Tail!"

Seviper appeared, and powered up its tail. May reacted immediately.

"Oh no you don't!" she said angrily. "Beautifly, I choose you!"

Beautifly appeared, and landed gracefully on her head.

"Beautifly, use Silver Wind!"

"Masquerain, you use Silver Wind too!" commanded Drew, who had released his Masquerain.

"Beau... ti... FLY!"

"Mas... que... RAIN!"

The Butterfly Pokemon and the Eyeball Pokemon both used the strong move, and soon, Team Rocket, their pokemon and their absurd balloon had been blown away.

"Team Rocket's blasting off again!" they yelled, as they disappeared into the sky with a pretty star.

"Good job, Masquerain!" said Drew, but Masquerain didn't hear. Masquerain and Beautifly were fluttering around together, red marks appearing on their cheeks.

"Drew?" asked May quietly, looking at Drew. "What gender is you Masquerain?"

"Male," he replied, staring at his giggly Masquerain.

"Beautifly's a girl," said May. Drew's eyes widened.

"So... our pokemon are in love?" he said, pointing at them.

May nodded. "Looks like it."

"Well, this is a weird thing!" he exclaimed, laughing nervously.

"Beauti!" (Hey, love isn't weird! It's beautiful!)

"Masq!" (Like you!)

Beautifly giggled, and the two pokemon fluttered off to a tree.

"I think we'll be expecting little Wurmple and Surskit soon!" giggled May. Drew stared after his Masquerain.

"I want my Masquerain to be happy..." he said quietly, looking down, "but if it does decide to breed, I'll have to leave it here..."

May's face fell. "I never thought of that."

Drew looked up at her. "Hopefully, they'll only have a few, so we can bring them all with us!"

May laughed. "Then again, maybe they'll decide not to breed!"

"Maybe..." sighed Drew, settling back into the sleeping bag. "C'mon, we better get some sleep."

May nodded, and also went back to the sleeping bag.

"Hey, if they do breed, we'll be grandparents!" she laughed.

"I'm not Masquerain's father!" replied Drew. May grinned.

"Close enough!" she smiled. She snuggled into Drew. "I sort of hope they _will _breed."

"Yeah, me too..." said Drew quietly. He then added under his breath, "It'll bring us closer..."

"What did you say?" said May, looking up at him.

"Nothing, nothing!" said Drew hastily. "'Night!"

He snapped his eyes shut, leaving a confused May staring at him.

'What did he mean, 'Bring us closer'?' she asked herself.

'He meant that he likes you!' said a sneering little voice.

'Who are you!?'

'Your conscience.'

'I didn't know I had a conscience!'

'Everybody has one, daahlink!'

'Does Drew?'

'Meh, probably. Your conscience is always stronger when you're in love!'

'Me? Love!?'

'Yeah. I think you have a thing for Drew!'

'I do not!'

'Admit it!'

'No, I won't! We're good friends, that's all!'

'You're snuggled into his chest.'

'Yeah, well... I'm cold!'

'You seem to be sweating.'

This was true. May's conscience made her terrified of her own mind.

'You're making me nervous!'

'Heh. So, do you like Drew?'

'As a friend, yes.'

'More than a friend?'

'No.'

'How about Ash?'

'No way! He's one of my best friends!'

'Aww, admit that you like Drew!'

'No!'

'Please?!'

'...'

'C'mon, admit it!'

'Fine. Only a little bit!'

'AHA!'

'But only a little bit!'

'I think it's more than just a bit! Think about all the moments that you almost kissed...'

'Eh?'

'Well, you keep getting closer and closer, then stretch your lips... then you stop. Geh.'

'We don't do that!'

'Yes, you do! I'll replay a memory, shall I?'

Flashback 

"_Whew..." panted Drew, looking up. And, yet again, his face was very close to May's. May turned her face away._

"_No..." muttered May softly, shaking her head._

_Drew understood what she meant._

"_Doesn't feel right in a filthy alley filled with garbage, does it?" he said quietly, smiling softly. May laughed feebly._

"_I have no idea what you're talking about," she said coyly. She slid out of the alley, with Drew following closely behind her._

_End Flashback_

'See?' said the voice, triumphant. 'I have more where that came from!'

_Flashback_

"_Thanks for saving me, Drew," she said softly. Drew shrugged._

"_It was nothing..." he said, blushing lightly._

_May sat down on a bench behind them. Drew sat down closely next to her. Once again, May rested her head on Drew's arm. The crowd that had been watching Harley's arrest had long disappeared, leaving Drew and May on their own._

"_It was really brave of you, Drew," said May quietly. She looked up at Drew, and saw, once again, they were very close to each other. May blushed lightly, and turned away._

_End Flashback_

'And here's another one!' said the voice happily.

_Flashback_

"_It is great news that your leg is better, Drew!" said May. She sat down on a bale of hay._

"_It's nothing. Anyway, how's your cold after being in the snow?" asked Drew as he sat down next to her._

"_Oh, it's... it's... ATCHOO!" sneezed May. Drew laughed, and flicked his hair._

"_All better, I see!" he said playfully._

"_I guess my cold will take a while to go away..." muttered May._

"_I hope it'll be gone soon. I don't want you sneezing all over my stuff," said Drew, smirking. May punched him lightly on the shoulder._

"_Why do you have to me so mean?" she asked, but not seriously. She rested her head on his shoulder. Drew felt his face grow hot._

"_It's part of my charm," he said, flicking his hair. He turned to face May, and saw that once again, their faces were very close. Closer than the last time. They came closer and closer until..._

"STAMPEDE!" 

_A voice yelled from the distance. A herd of Tauros came running towards Drew and May._

"_RUN!" yelled Drew, grabbing May. They ran inside, away from the rampaging Tauros._

_End Flashback_

'You've had a lot of little 'moments', haven't you?' said the voice.

'Ok, I like him more than I think!'

'Hah!'

'But what if he doesn't like me?'

'For Pete's sake, you were made for each other.'

'Ok, now you're going too far!'

'Sorry.'

'Can you go away? I want to get some sleep.'

'Sure.'

The voice poofed away, leaving May thinking hard about what had happened with her and Drew in the little time they'd been together.

"_You and your little 'rival' are meant to be,"_

Those words played over and over in May's mind. The words of the Fortune Teller had been forgotten for quite a while, but they had now decided to come back. May sighed, and got out her book (Beautifly and the Beast) from her bag.

'If I can't sleep, I guess I should just read for a while' she thought to herself. She opened the book, and continued to read where she had last left it.

_Beautifly looked up, and saw the tall figure of Beast towering over her._

"_If you're here to ask me to dinner again," she sniffed, turning her back on Beast, "then you can forget it!"_

"_Why? I'm trying to be nice to you!" said Beast angrily. Beautifly sniffed again._

"_If you were truly nice, you would've let me say goodbye to Father!"_

_Beast felt a bit guilty. He'd sent Beautifly's father, Dustox, away, before Beautifly had even had a chance to talk to him._

"_The deal was that I swap him with you," said Beast firmly. Beautifly burst into tears._

"_Do you have any feelings, you... you... monster!" she shouted tearfully. Before Beast could reply, Beautifly had glided up the stone stairs, her eyes glistening with tears._

May closed the book, and stared up to the stars. The book had strangely described Drew and May. It was as if it was written about them. May continued to read, until the got to another bit of the book that described them again.

_The Mightyena and Poochyena chased poor Beautifly through the woods, snapping at her wings._

"_Leave me alone!" she cried, but the Wolf Pokemon simply bared their teeth at her._

"_Get away from her!" roared a voice from behind. Turning around, Beautigly saw Beast running towards them. The Wolf Pokemon attacked immediately._

"_Stop it!" pleaded Beautifly, but they continued to bite and scratch Beast. But somehow, however outnumbered he was, Beast managed to fight most of the attacking pokemon off. The remaining Poochyena and Mightyena quickly ran off, terrified._

"_Are you ok?" said Beautifly softly, as she fluttered towards Beast. She suddenly saw that Beast was gravely injured. "Beast! You're hurt!"_

_Beast smiled weakly. "I guess you're going to say how brave I am, now, aren't you?" he said, smirking slightly. Beautifly laughed feebly._

"_You _were _really brave though!" she said. Beast laughed, but a sudden shoot of pain stopped him._

"_Beast! What's wrong?!" questioned Beautifly worriedly, but Beast didn't answer, because he'd collapsed to the floor. "Beast!"_

May gasped. She was very freaked out by now. Drew had often saved her, and she had even saved him once or twice. May looked down at Drew, who was sleeping peacefully. May continued to read, until the light from the fire started to die down. Snuggling into Drew's chest, she thought to herself.

'Am I... in love?'

* * *

Ooh, what a great ending to a chapter! By the way, I was just wondering, how long should I make this story? I quite like it, but I have no idea where I'll end it!! I'm definitely making at least one more contests, but should I carry on until the Grand Festival? Or shall I kill someone? Heh! Poor Jay... but I wasnted to have some death in this fanfic! I need DEATH! So I killed Typhlosion. I'm so nice. Anyhoo, please leave reviews about how long I should write this fanfic! I need to know! Badly! I also need to go to the loo! Badly!

* * *


	11. Chapter 11 : Grandparents

* * *

Disclaimer: I believe that I own Pokemon... thing is, I also believe that the tooth fairy exists. But who else leaves money under your pillow when you lose a tooth, mm?

Unfour's Notes: YAY! More fluffy scenes! I'm thinking about getting a much fluffier scene in the next chapter, if you know what I mean! No lemons or mini-lemons though! Eurgh! I don't want to scare people away by my dirty mind! Wheh! Anyway, this chapter is a bit freaky, because I did it after I drank some Smirnoff Ice. Which is alcoholic. Wheeee... Drunkness xP Nah, I only had about a centimetre. Damnit.

On with the story.

* * *

"Ash, what's wrong?" questioned Brock, as he stirred the soup that he was making for breakfast.

Brock had decided to go with Ash on the journey to Sinnoh, and they had made a new companion, who was called Dawn. Dawn, who had been brushing her long, dark blue hair, stared at Ash.

"Ash? Hello!" she said, waving her hands in front of his eyes. Ash looked as if he'd seen a ghost.

"Ash, are you o-?" said Brock, but paused. He dropped his wooden spoon. Ash had been staring at a figure walking towards them.

The figure had spiky black hair, similar to Ash's. He was wearing a green sleeveless jacket and a white t-shirt underneath it. Beside him was a Ralts.

"Max!" gasped Brock. Abandoning his cooking, he ran towards May's little brother. "What are you doing here?"

Max grinned. "On my journey, of course!"

Ash ran up to them, followed by Dawn.

"Max! I didn't know you'd be in Sinnoh!" he said, grinning at Max.

"Me neither!" admitted Max. "I set off to find Ralts, and I somehow ended up here!"

Brock leaned down at the small Ralts. "Hello, Ralts! Remember me?"

Ralts nodded happily, hugging Brock's kneecaps. Brock laughed, and got up.

"I can't believe you went back for Ralts!" he said, picking the Ralts up in his arms.

"I promised, didn't I?" replied Max, smiling. "Kirlia and Gardevoir were reluctant to let me have Ralts, but eventually they gave in."

Dawn smiled. "Hi, Max! I'm Dawn, Ash's friend!"

Max shook her hand. "Nice to meet you! Has Ash told you about May?"

Dawn nodded.

"I'm her little brother!"

Dawn laughed. "I know! Ash won't stop telling me how clever you are!"

Both Ash and Max sweatdropped.

"I'm not sure about clever..." said Max modestly. Dawn laughed.

"Have you got any badges yet?" asked Ash. Max nodded proudly.

"I've got three badges!"

Ash's jaw dropped. "Th-three?"

"Yep!" said Max, showing them. "Me and Ralts make a great team!"

Ash laughed nervously. "I only have one!"

"Wow!" exclaimed Dawn, sliding up to Max. "You must be really talented!"

Max drooled slightly when he noticed how attractive Dawn was.

"Well... I... uh..."

He rubbed his eyes, as if trying to work out if Dawn was a hallucination.

Brock peered at Max. "There's something different about you..."

"Glasses?" said Max, pointing at his eyes. Brock clicked his fingers.

"I knew it! What happened to them?"

"Well, I accidentally snapped them, but I noticed that I don't need them anymore!"

Ash laughed. "Well that's good!"

"How about you come along with us?" asked Dawn, smiling cutely. Max stared at her short skirt.

"Okay!!"

-----

May's eyes flickered open. Yawning, she sat up. Drew had already gotten up, and was nowhere to be seen.

"Drew?" she called sleepily, stretching. May got up. "Drew?"

Drew emerged from some trees.

"Come here!" he whispered, gesturing to the trees. May ran towards him.

"Look!"

Beautifly and Masquerain were sitting on the branches, looking very pleased with themselves.

May gasped. "Is Beautifly...?"

Drew nodded, grinning. "Yeah, they're gonna have kids."

May squealed in delight. "Yay! We're going to be grandparents!"

She hugged Drew tightly, and then skipped off. "We're going to be grandparents! Yaaaay!"

Drew shook his head, laughing.

"May, Beautifly won't be a mother for a week or so!" he called. May stopped dancing.

"Aww!" she said, disappointed. She looked up at Drew. "Do you think we should leave them here?"

Drew shrugged. "I have no idea. Let's go and see what they think."

Drew led May back to the trees, where Masquerain and Beautifly were sitting.

"Beautifly, Masquerain, do you want to stay here, on your own?" he asked quietly. Beautifly shook her wings.

"Beau Beau!" (No! Don't leave us!)

"Masq Masq Rain!" (We can't manage with out our Masters!)

May laughed. "I guess that means they want to stay with us!"

"I've never looked after Baby Pokemon before..." muttered Drew to himself. May smiled.

"I've looked after two Baby Pokemon!" she said. "And Eevee and Squirtle look fine!"

"Except Squirtle is tiny," he sneered. May's face flushed.

"For some reason, Squirtle won't seem to grow..." she murmered, pointing her fingers. Drew laughed.

"C'mon, let's have a quick breakfast, then set off," said Drew, going back to the little campsite. May nodded.

After a breakfast of cereal (A/N: How do they fit things in that tiny bag?!), they stuffed May's sleeping bag into her bag (A/N: Argh!), and once again set off.

May didn't bother return Beautifly back to its pokeball, so Beautifly hitched a ride on May's head. Drew had returned Masquerain, so his head was unoccupied.

"Beautifly seems to be much heavier..." said May after a while. Beautifly angrily smacked May's forehead for insulting it.

"Wow, I guess pokemon put on weight really quickly when they're pregnant!" said Drew, laughing. He peered closely at Beautifly. "Beautifly seems chubbier already."

Drew got another whack on his head from one of May's manic pokemon.

-----

"How far are we from Azalea Town, Drew?" moaned May. Her feet were hurting from walking so far, and she felt as if she could fall asleep any moment.

"I don't understand!" muttered Drew, staring at his map. "We should've gotten there by now!"

The sun had started to set, casting an orange glow on the sky. May looked up to a hill in front of them.

"Maybe it's behind that hill!" she said excitedly, and she ran up the hill, with Drew following closely.

"Slow down May!" he called. May wasn't the only one that was tired.

"Yay! It's Azalea Town!" said May happily, pointing below her. On the other side of the hill, the view of Azalea Town was spectacular.

"It's still pretty far from this hill..." said Drew, looking at the town. "By the way we get there, it'll be around midnight."

May sighed. "I guess. So we're sleeping up here tonight?"

Drew nodded. "Looks like it. Let's have something to eat."

May grinned in agreement. She hadn't had anything to eat since breakfast, and she was starving.

"So, what's Chef Drew going to make today? Chocolate bars?" teased May. Drew flicked his hair.

"Anything I make is better than what you make!" he smirked, rummaging around in May's bag. He pulled out a bag of vegetables. "Perfect! May, can you get some firewood, and get Blaziken to light it?"

May ran off into the trees to find some wood. Drew got to work. He chopped up the vegetables, and tipped them into a large cooking pot (A/N: Well, Brock always seems to have cooking pots, so why can't May? Even if she has a tiny bag!). May returned with her arms full of firewood. She plopped them on the ground, and got out her Blaziken.

"Blaziken, use Flamethrower on the wood!"

"Blaaaaaze!"

Blaziken easily lit up the firewood. It happily watched the fire dance, clapping its hands in joy every time fire spurted up at it.

"Blaze Blaze!"

Looking at Blaziken playing with the fire reiminded May of Jay and Typhlosion. She looked down sadly.

"Dinner's almost done..." called Drew. He'd created some sort of casserole, and it was bubbling over the fire.

"It smells delicious!" said May truthfully, smelling the casserole.

"Thanks," said Drew, quite proud of himself. "Oh, I think it's ready now."

He poured the casserole into two different bowls. He handed one to May. May immediately started to gobble it down.

"This is... great!!" she gushed, her eyes twinkling. "Where did you learn to cook like this?"

Drew sweatdropped. It was a bit unnerving to have a girl with twinkling eyes staring at you.

"I guess that when you travel on your own, you learn these things," he shrugged. May's eyes went back to normal.

"You mean no one ever taught you?" she said, surprised. Drew shook his head.

"No, I just sort of taught myself," he said, swiftly moving his hair from his eyes.

"Was it hard, being on your own all the time?" said May quietly, looking up at him. Drew shrugged.

"No, it was okay, because I had my pokemon," said Drew, patting his pokeballs. "I think that the pokemon are a bit hungry now."

This was true. Blaziken was trying to eat the firewood. May laughed.

"C'mon out, guys!" she called, throwing her pokeballs.

"Tentasha!"

"Gyaahh!"

"Bulba!"

"Munchlax!"

"Beauti!"

"Squirtle!"

"Skitty!"

"Eve!"

May counted her pokemon. Blaziken had run towards the rest to join them.

"Oh man!" she sighed, dropping to her knees. "I have three more pokemon that I'm allowed to carry!"

Drew counted the pokemon as well. "You're right. And when Beautifly has her babies, you'll have even more!"

May stared at her pokemon for a long while, then decided. "I'm going to send back Beautifly, Bulbasaur and Munchlax."

Beautifly's wings drooped in sadness.

"Beau Beau?" (Will I see Masquerain?)

Drew sighed. "Okay, I'll send Masquerain back to your Mom's gym, ok?"

May smiled happily. "Mom will be so excited to see Beautifly and Munchlax again!"

Drew flicked his hair, and released all of his pokemon.

"Abs!"

"Roselia!"

"Masque!"

"Fly Fly!"

"Free Free!"

Drew bent down over Masquerain.

"Masquerain, I'm going to send you to Petalburg Gym with Beautifly, Munchlax and Bulbasaur. Is that all right?"

Masquerain looked delighted at the thought of being with Beautifly.

"Masq Masq!"

Masquerain fluttered towards Beautifly, and they both sat down together, staring at each other lovingly.

"Scary," said May quietly. Drew laughed.

"C'mon, we better feed them," he said, getting the different types of Poke Chow from May's bag (A/N: Ok, I'll say it once more. HOW DO THEY FIT THINGS IN THERE!?). Once all the different pokemon had gotten all of their different foods, Drew and May could finally rest.

"How about we stay in Azalea Town tomorrow?" suggested Drew, as he and May gazed at the setting sun. "It'll be nice to have a break from training."

May nodded in agreement. "I need to relax!"

She flopped down on the soft grass. Drew did the same. They both sighed happily as they saw the first few stars of the night. Beautifly and Masquerain were resting peacefully with each other, their wings fluttering slightly in the breeze. Skitty and Eevee were napping on top of a slumbering Munchlax. Blaziken and Flygon were chatting to each other in Pokelanguage. Butterfree and Tentasha were having a competition; so see who could fly around the fire the quickest. Tentasha was winning. Gyarados and Squirtle were squirting each other with water, laughing each time they got squirted. Roselia and Bulbasaur were practicing their Sweet Scent on each other, so they often collapsed in confusion. Absol was watching over all of the pokemon on top of a nearby tree. It seems that Absol is the eldest of the pokemon.

Gyarados attempted to hit Squirtle with its Water Gun, but Squirtle had dodged at the last moment. The stray Water Gun instead hit May.

"Hey, you guys, watch it!" she called down to the Water Pokemon. Gyarados slowly moved itself up the hill, and rubbed its face against May as if in sorry.

"Aww, it's okay!" she laughed, hugging Gyarados. Gyarados roared happily, and slid back down the hill. It attempted to squirt May's Squirtle again, but missed. Instead, it hit Drew.

"Ah!" yelled Drew, as the Hydro Pump Gyarados had shot hit him. His clothes were soaked; much more wet compared to May's damp hair.

"Oh no! The map is soaked!" he said, holding up the blob of wet paper that was the map.

"Gyaaah!" said Gyarados sheepishly from the bottom of the hill. Drew threw the map at it, where Gyarados easily dodged. May laughed.

"I think it takes more than paper to damage my Gyarados!"

Drew smirked, and took off his sopping wet jacket. He then took off his tight black t-shirt, showing his impressive upper-half.

May stared at him, her mouth open.

"What?" questioned Drew, squeezing some of the water from his clothes. "Man, even my pants are wet!"

Fortunately, (or perhaps unfortunately in May's case), Drew didn't take off his trousers. He jogged down the hill, and hung his wet clothes by the fire.

"Lucky it isn't too cold tonight..." he said. "I think I'll be taking over your sleeping bag tonight!"

May folded her arms. "Oh, really?"

Drew put on his spare t-shirt. "Yeah, really."

Suddenly, a Diglett made its way past them. Balancing on its head was... _THE SQUARE OF CHOCOLATE!_

May gasped, and so did Drew.

"Is that the same chocolate?" said May in disbelief. Drew nodded.

"Must be. It did fall down a Diglett hole, didn't it?"

Just as he said that, the chocolate square fell off Digletts head, and Diglett disappeared into the dirt. Drew and May narrowed their eyes at each other.

"Mine!" roared May, and she dived on top of the chocolate.

"In your dreams!" sneered Drew, and he pushed May off the chocolate, and snatched it. May growled, and pushed Drew over. As he fell, the chocolate slipped out of his hand. May quickly picked it up, and ran off with it. Drew was still getting up from the ground, so May had plenty of time to eat the chocolate. But, for some reason, she just continued to run. May actually enjoyed playing with a piece of chocolate than actually eating it. Drew quickly caught up with her, and attempted to dive on her, but she dodged. Drew landed on the ground with a soft thud, and May waved the chocolate above him.

"You want it?" she teased. Drew suddenly snatched it out of her hand, and ran up the hill. May gave chase.

"Get back here!" she yelled playfully, but Drew continued to run. Drew had never acted like this. The feeling was strange... he was doing something because he wanted to, and not because someone else wanted to. He'd felt like this ever since he'd started his journey with May, but the feeling was even stronger now. He sprinted up to the top of the hill, and turned around, expecting to see May running towards him.

But there was nothing.

Peering around, he searched for May.

"May?" he called. Suddenly, he heard May laugh behind him. Before he could turn, May had pushed him over. He grabbed May as he fell, so both he and May toppled down the hill in a laughing heap. They both fought for the chocolate as they rolled. May pinned Drew to the ground, grinning evilly, but Drew pushed her off. He ran behind Gyarados, still clutching the chocolate in his hand. Gyarados didn't like the idea of being a hiding place, so he flicked Drew away with its tail.

May, who had been searching for Drew, found him emerging from behind Gyarados, looking dazed. She grinned mischievously, and ran towards him. Drew dodged, so May tripped over Gyarados' tail. Gyarados flicked May away with its tail. Dazed, she tripped over her own feet, and landed on top of Drew.

"Get off my face!" said Drew in a muffled voice. May laughed.

"Not until I get the chocolate!" she demanded. Drew pushed May off of his face.

"I thought you had the chocolate!" he said, sitting up.

"I thought _you _had the chocolate!" said May. They stared at each other for a moment, then broke into laughter.

"All that fighting for nothing!" giggled May.

"That fighting was strangely fun!" said Drew, grinning. May sat up.

"You actually enjoyed that?" she questioned. Drew nodded. "But I thought you didn't like childish things!"

Drew shrugged. "Usually, I don't, but with you, May, it seems... more grown-up!"

"You think that battling each other for a piece of chocolate is grown-up?" laughed May.

"Ok, so it was childish, but I enjoyed it."

May laughed again. "Drew likes being childish? I must tell the world!"

Drew smirked, and got up. The sky was dark now, and all of the pokemon had fallen asleep.

"C'mon, it's getting late," said Drew, helping May up from the ground.

"Yeah, there's a big day ahead of us!" said May, brushing grass off herself.

"There is?" questioned Drew as they walked back towards the camp.

"Yes, of relaxing!" laughed May. Drew rolled his eyes, and muttered, "Typical!"

He walked to the fire, and checked if his clothes were dry yet.

"They're still a bit damp," he muttered, pulling half of the sleeping bag over him. May snuggled into his chest, as always.

"I love..." she said softly, looking up at Drew. Drew held his breath. "... camping out with you."

Drew released his breath.

'Hey, you wanted her to say that she loves you, didn't you?' sneered Steve.

'No I didn't!'

'Yes, you did!'

'No I didn't!'

'Yes!'

'No!'

'Admit it!'

'No!'

'C'mon. You do like her, though.'

'Yes.'

'And do you love her?'

'No. I'm too young for love, and anyway, May's my friend.'

'Beautifly and Masquerain have managed to show their love to each other... why can't you and May?'

'Because we're not in love!'

Drew shuffled some dirt with his finger.

'I don't even know if May likes me back.'

'For Pete's sake, you've almost kissed about twenty times by now!'

'I know...'

'And...?'

'Well, something bad happens every time we almost kiss, or she turns away. She doesn't like me.'

'She does! Look at her, she's snuggled into your chest!'

'Yeah, but...'

'But nothing. Except maybe I'll kick your butt if you don't admit that you have feelings for her!'

'You can't kick me! You're my brain!'

'Shut up. Anyway, please, admit that you have strong feelings for her... not love, just very strong feelings.'

'Fine, I have feelings for her.'

'...'

'Hello?'

'Sorry, I'm just overcome by joy. You're finally admitting that you love her!'

'What? I didn't!'

'Strong feelings and love are the same!'

'They are? Well, I don't have strong feelings for her then!'

'Eh?'

'I have mildly strong feelings!'

'Geh, I love it when you admit that.'

'You need to get a hobby.'

'I already have, crazy bro.'

Drew looked down at the sleeping girl that was snuggled into his chest. He wondered... was he in love?

Drew saw a book poking out of May's bag. Taking it out, he saw that it was Beautifly and the Beast. Drew didn't usually read fairytales, but for some reason, he decided to read this one.

_Beautifly fluttered around in the snow, giggling every time Beast hit her with a snowball._

"_Stop it!" she laughed, as she ducked behind a tree. Beast ran after her, and they both laughed happily. A Taillow suddenly glided down towards the birdbath, where it sat shivering._

_Beautifly scooped up some bird feed in her small arms, offering it to the small Taillow. Taillow chirruped gratefully, and pecked at the food. Beautifly laughed as the Taillow ate the bird feed. Behind Beautifly stood Beast, looking curiously at them._

_Beautifly scooped up some more bird feed, and placed it in Beast's hands. She then led Beast to the Taillow, and showed him how to feed it._

"_Taillow!" chirruped the Taillow happily as it pecked the food in Beast's hands. A smile grew on Beast's face. He had never felt so happy. He usually only did things that pleased others, like staying away from the small village that was near his castle. But now, he was pleasing himself, by having fun. After years and years of being cooped up in the dreadful old castle, it was refreshing to be outside in the fresh air._

"_It's fun, isn't it?" said Beautifly happily as she fluttered around Beast. Beast nodded._

"_This _**is**_ strangely fun!" he exclaimed._

"_You're enjoying this?" questioned Beautifly curiously. "I thought you didn't like to be immature, and act like a big, scary beast!"_

"_Yes, but this isn't immature. It's... sophisticated."_

"_Do you call pelting each other with snow balls sophisticated?"_

_Beast laughed._

"_Ok, maybe it isn't sophisticated! But it's still fun!"_

Drew closed the book, and stared at it in disbelief. The book was freaking him out. How did it describe him and May so well!?

The night wore on, with Drew sleeping uneasily, his mind filled with thoughts of May.

-----

A purple-haired young man sat in his jail cell, pounding his head on the bars.

"You can't keep me here forever!" he screamed down the halls. The Officer Jenny that was on guard duty peered down at him from her coffee.

"Actually, we can, Harley," she replied. Harley yelled abusive things at her, but she simply ignored him.

Harley sighed, and leant against the cold, stone wall.

"How could this happen to me?" he said to himself. "I'm a pokemon co-ordinator, not a prisoner!"

He turned to the bars again. "You hear that?" he screamed at the Officer. "I'm not a prisoner!"

Officer Jenny continued to read her magazine, as if she hadn't heard anything. Harley moodily kicked the small wooden chair that was in his cell.

"Psst!" said a voice from the barred window. Turning around, Harley saw the face of Jessie staring at him from the other side of the bars.

Harley's jaw dropped. "What are you doing here?!"

"Saving you, duh!" whispered Jessie. "We need you and your intelligent brain to help us!"

Harley narrowed his eyes. "In what way, hon?"

"To make sure that those twerps, Maria and David, lose in the next contest!" she hissed.

"Maria and David? Don't you mean Drew and May?"

"Yeah, whatever," grunted Jessie. "I'd stand back if I were you."

Harley backed against the wall. Jessie's face disappeared from the window. There was suddenly a loud bang.

"What's going on?" asked Jenny, springing up from her chair. She saw smoke and dust coming out of Harley's cell.

"Oh no he didn't..." she muttered to herself angrily as she ran towards the cell. But he had. Harley had escaped through the small window, and could be heard laughing.

"Bye bye, hon!" he called to Officer Jenny. "See you, don't wanna be you!"

He cackled again, and hopped into the Team Rocket balloon, where he made his getaway. Jenny saw that the pokeballs she had confiscated from him were gone from her desk.

Officer Jenny took a walkie-talkie from her pocket.

"Officer Jenny to Officer Jenny. We have a situation. Over."

-----

"This spring is so refreshing..." breathed May. Drew nodded in agreement.

They had just arrived Azalea Town, and May had immediately dragged Drew to the Pokemon Centre's springs.

"Yeah..." said Drew quietly, closing his eyes. "Sure is."

Because it was so early in the morning, Drew and May had the springs to themselves. May was going to send Beautifly, Bulbasaur and Munchlax to her father's gym after she had asked Nurse Joy about pokemon expecting babies.

Suddenly, a whole gang of giggly girls in tight bikinis ran in. They were even more giggly when they saw Drew.

"It's Drew!" squealed the tallest and the prettiest out of the girls. "He's so hot when he's topless!!"

The girls screeched in agreement. They all dived into the hot pool, and clustered around Drew.

"Hi Drew!"

"Are you going to compete in the Goldenrod contest?"

"Will you win?"

"I'll be supporting you!"

"Do you have a girlfriend?!"

"Drew, I like you a lot!"

"Drew, I love you!"

"Drew, will you marry me?"

"WHAT!?" yelled Drew. May swiftly swam to the side of the pool, and clambered out, trying to stifle her laughter.

"Gyarados, I choose you!" she whispered, throwing a pokeball from her bag.

"Gyaaaah!" roared Gyarados as it landed in the pool, splashing happily.

"IT'S A GYARADOS!" screamed a girl. "RUN!!"

The girls scrambled from the pool, and ran off screeching in different directions.

"Thanks," said Drew gratefully to May as he climbed out of the pool. "So much for relaxing."

May laughed, and she returned Gyarados. "Well, they're gone now!"

Drew smiled appreciatively. He hadn't noticed how nice May looked in her baby blue swimming costume...

"C'mon, let's go inside!" said May, grinning. Drew popped back into reality.

"Y-yeah," he stuttered, following her inside. As they walked into the Centre, they shoved their clothes on.

Nurse Joy was looking very annoyed.

"Oh, are you hear to complain about a Gyarados too?" she asked angrily. May gasped.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" she said, and she was. "I had no idea they'd complain!"

Nurse Joy folded her arms. "So the Gyarados belonged to you?"

"Yes, and I'm sorry!"

Nurse Joy smiled at the apologetic girl. "No harm done. May I help you?"

May nodded. "Yes! My Beautifly and Drew's Masquerain got together, and... well, you know!"

Nurse Joy laughed. "Is your Beautifly expecting kids?"

"Yep!" said May proudly. "But I was wondering for how long Beautifly is going to be unable to compete in contests!"

"Ah, so you're a co-ordinator!" said Nurse Joy. "Well, I'd say that Beautifly will be able to compete in about... two months?"

May's shoulders drooped. "Oh... the contest in Goldenrod is in a month. I guess Beautifly will have to miss out on this one."

"But you have plenty of other pokemon!" reminded Drew. May grinned.

"Nurse Joy, I'd like to send three of my pokemon to Petalburg Gym!" she said, taking the three pokeballs from her bag.

"And I'd like to send my Masquerain there too," added Drew, taking his Masquerain's pokeball from his pocket.

"The transportation machines and the phones are down there!" said Nurse Joy, pointing to the other end of the room. May smiled gratefully.

"Thank you!"

Drew and May went to the phones. They both sat down on the small bench, and May typed in her house's phone number.

"Hello?"

Caroline Maple's face appeared on the screen in front of Drew and May. Her face lit up when she saw them.

"Drew! May! How nice to see you!"

"Hi Mom!" said May, grinning.

"How are you two? Have you won any contests yet?"

May looked down at her feet.

"May? What's wrong?"

May sighed, and explained what happened at the Cherrygrove Contest. Her voice cracked when she told her mother about when Gyarados found Typhlosion, so Drew carried on for her.

"... And that's how we won."

Caroline dabbed her eyes with a handkerchief.

"You poor kids!" she said sadly. "You've been so much already!"

"Mom, there's something else," said May. She took a deep breath. "Beautifly and Drew's Masquerain are in love."

"Really?" gasped Caroline. "How sweet!"

"And Beautifly is going to have kids," added Drew.

"Aww! I'm so proud of them!" gushed Caroline.

"Mom, I noticed yesterday that I was carrying too many pokemon, so I'm sending some to you. Is that alright?"

"Of course it is!" said Caroline, delighted at the thought of seeing her daughter's pokemon again. "Which ones are they?"

"Munchlax, Bulbasaur and Beautifly."

"Wait..." said Caroline, counting her fingers, "You're sending back three pokemon! That means you have nine pokemon?"

May nodded proudly. "Yep! I just recently caught a Magikarp and a Tentacruel, and they evolved into Gyarados and Tentasha!"

Caroline spluttered. "Tentacruel has another evoloution?"

Drew shrugged. "Surprised me too."

"Isn't that interesting!" gushed Caroline. "Can you show me the Tentasha?"

"Sure!" said May happily, throwing a pokeball. "Tentasha, I choose... huh?"

Gyarados appeared in the room. It was so tall that it had to lie flat on the floor to fit in the reception area.

"Wow!" exclaimed Caroline, gasping. "That Gyarados is huge!"

"I know!" said May proudly. Drew patted her arm.

"I think you should return Gyarados, before it causes an earthquake."

May laughed uncertainly. "Gyarados, return! Tentie, I choose you!!"

This time, it was Tentasha that actually appeared.

"Wow!!" said Caroline again. "It's beautiful!"

"Tentasha!" (Thank you!)

"Okay, Tentie, return!"

Tentasha disappeared into its pokeball.

"Ok, are you going to send your pokemon over now?" asked Caroline. May nodded.

She placed three pokeballs on the transporter device next to the phone. The pokeballs immediately disappeared.

"Got them!" said Caroline, holding up the pokeballs.

"Thanks, Mom! See you soon!"

"Bye, honey! You too, Drew!"

"Bye Mrs Maple!"

The screen turned black.

May turned to grin at Drew.

"Do you know what we're going to do now?"

"Oh no..." moaned Drew.

"Shopping!" said May happily.

"Shopping," said Drew in disgust.

-----

The Team Rocket balloon hovered above the Azalea Shopping Mall. Two figures were leaning over the side of the green basket, while another figure with a pointy hat dictated them.

"Can you see them?" demanded the pointy-hatted figure. The sunlight suddenly shone on them, showing the faces of Jessie, James, Meowth, Wobuffet, Mime Jr and Harley.

"I don't see anything..." muttered James, and sighed. Sitting on his shoulder, Mime Jr also sighed.

"Then work harder!" said Harley sharply. James half-heartedly held the binoculars to his eyes.

"How do you know they'll be here, anyway?" he questioned, scratching his head. Mime Jr mirrored his antic.

"All girls love shopping!" said Jessie, her eyes twinkling. She struck out her arms and legs in a pose. "I should know, because I am a girl!"

"But that other twerp is a guy!" pointed out James. Jessie thrust James's binoculars into his face.

"Be quiet!" she snarled, returning her gaze to the mall. "Wait! I think I see them!"

"Where!?"

Harley pushed the two Team Rocket workers to the side, and leaned over the side of the balloon.

"Where?" he repeated again. He then sighed furiously. "Those aren't the twerps!"

Jessie's jaw dropped, and so did James'. "What?!"

Harley pointed down towards the ground.

"They're a Cacnea and a Vulpix."

James sweatdropped. "Well, we got the colours right!"

"You idiots! I can't believe I'm standing in the same balloon that you are standing in! Ugh, I'm contaminated!" shrieked Harley. "Ugh, move aside!"

He pushed Jessie and James to the side, and strutted to the corner of the balloon, staring moodily at the landscape.

Jessie and James looked at each other knowingly, and nodded.

"Now!" yelled Jessie, and both she and James pushed Harley off the balloon.

"Whaaa!!" screamed Harley in a high-pitched manner, as he thumped into a display of pillows that were on sale in the mall.

Jessie waved her fist from the balloon.

"Never insult us again!"

Harley fumed in the pile of cushions as the balloon disappeared into the cloudless sky.

"I'll get them back..." he muttered angrily. He suddenly noticed a small boy staring at him, looking bemused.

"Hello, hon!" said Harley, smiling fakely. The small boy screamed, and ran away, screaming something about a strange man. Harley fumed again. I am _not _a strange man, he thought furiously.

As he fumbled in his pockets, he felt his pokeballs.

'At least I have my darlings back,' he thought to himself, cheering up. And what he saw next cheered him up even more.

"Look, Drew! Berry Blenders!" exclaimed a girl with long, brown hair. A boy with floppy green hair beside her was led towards them.

"At least I don't have to look at more Pokemon Accessories..." he muttered to himself, sighing in relief. The girl laughed.

"Yes!" muttered Harley to himself. He eyed the young co-ordinators. "I've finally got you."

* * *

Gasp! Harley is back! Ahh! Panic! Grab your children and your handbags, and FLEE!

..Okay, okay, he isn't scary. But perhaps I will make him scary... Bahah! Anyway, I'm stuck for ideas on how to make Jessie and James have fluffy scenes. Perhaps I'll kill Meowth, so that Jessie weeps into James' arms, and they confess their love... No, Meowth is too adorable. How about I kill Mime Jr? No, too cute. Wobuffet? No, he's just fantasic!

But beware, there will be some killings! Behahah!

...Bye. Chapter 12 will be posted... hmm, around Friday? Yeh.

* * *


	12. Chapter 12 : Overlooking Goldenrod

* * *

Disclaimer: I want to own Pokemon, but all I get to own is this computer. And this fanfiction. I guess I'll have to continue to scream into you faces: I DON'T OWN POKEMON!! 

Unfour's Notes: Blimey, I'm sorry this took a while to update! It's exam time, so I've been doing a lot of revising recently. But here it is! Chapter 12! Let's all gaze at its amazingness! Whee! Anyhoo, for those who don't like chapters that are incredibly long and VERY drastic scenes, I warn you, do not read. Do you remember when I told all of you that I like death? Well... Giggle. See for yourself.

* * *

"Some Leppa Berry... a tiny pinch of Oran Berry... and a handful of Pecha Berry! There!" 

May swept the bit of berries into the machine, and pressed the start button. The little dial on the machine started to spin around.

Beside her was Drew, working on his PokeBlock.

"Some Oran Berry..." he muttered, chopping berries up with a small knife, "a Leppa Berry... and an entire Tomaro Berry!"

May gasped as Drew pushed the ingredients into his machine, and pressed the button.

"Drew! Tomaro Berries burn your lips!"

Drew smirked knowingly. "Not the way I use them."

May stared at him curiously as the PokeBlock he'd produced popped out of the machine. Drew summoned his Absol.

"Abs! Absol Abs!"

"Absol, try some of this," said Drew, holding out a small purple PokeBlock in his hand. Absol sniffed it, and then scooped it into its mouth.

"Absol... Absol Abs!!"

Absol swallowed the PokeBlock, and licked its lips.

"Absol Absol!"

May laughed. "Absol's lips seem to be fine!"

Drew smirked. "Absol, use Razor Wind on this Oran Berry!"

Drew threw a round blue berry into the air. Absol powered up its tail in about half a second, and sliced through the berry quickly. As Absol landed on the floor gracefully, the two halves of the berry landed beside it, in perfect halves.

Drew turned away from May, and returned Absol. "We'll try again later, Absol."

"What?!" exclaimed May, her jaw dropping. "That was amazing, and you didn't even praise your Absol?

Drew shook his head. "Absol didn't deserve the praise. The PokeBlock it ate was what made it amazing. Without that, Absol would've taken a lot longer to power up its tail. Absol needs more training, and if I don't train it by the time we get to the Goldenrod Contest, it'll be impossible for me to get a ribbon.

"Your Absol tried its absolute best, and all you do is return it?" said May in disbelief.

Drew's fists clenched beside him. "Absol never has the same passion in its attacks as Roselia and Flygon. Masquerain, Butterfree; they've all made me proud. But simply trying your best isn't going to get praise from me." Drew turned to face May, and yelled into her face. "I'm not a wimp like you!"

That was the second time those very same words had hit May hard. Drew left the Berry Blenders, and disappeared into the large crowd that had formed, abandoning his fantastic PokeBlock. May's eyes stung, and the crowd stared at her. She blinked rapidly, and the tears faded away.

'Not _again_!' she thought desperately, pushing her way through the crowd. May couldn't believe that the same thing had happened. It was like deja vu. Drew had said almost those exact words back at the Kanto Grand Festival.

May looked around the busy high street, and saw a dark, narrow alley. Drew wouldn't have gone through the streets, where everyone would be staring at him. May ran into the dark alley, searching for Drew. After about five minutes, May felt ready to give up. Drew had disappeared into thin air. She walked slowly through some more alleys, peering around to see any sign of her friend.

May suddenly saw a boy with green hair disappearing around the corner. Not a lot of people have green hair, so she sprinted after him.

"Drew! Drew- Whah!!"

The ground underneath May collapsed, and she tumbled into a pitfall.

"Team Rocket!" she snarled, standing up. She rubbed her back, where she had just landed on it. "I know it's you!"

She heard laughter from above the hole.

"Prepare for Harley!"

"And his brother Charlie!"

"We would have thought I had a brother?"

"We two are siblings, but like no other!"

"Harley!"

"Charlie!"

"We are here to make everything worse!"

"Cacturne!"

"Stantler!"

May blinked. That wasn't Team Rocket's motto. What did they say their names were? Charlie, and...

"Harley!" she gasped. Looking down at her were two young men, with long cascading hair. Harley, of course, had purple hair, but his brother, Charlie, had flaming red hair. A tall, elegant Stantler stood next to him, pawing the ground with its hooves. Harley grinned.

"Ariados, use String Shot to get that twerp up here!" he commanded as he released a pokeball. Ariados appeared, and shot a sticky web towards May. May quickly jumped to the side, dodging the attack.

"Very skittish, aren't we?" sneered Charlie. He threw a pokeball. "Ivy, use Vine Whip to get that girl up here!"

A very strong and sturdy Ivysaur appeared by Charlie's side. The bulb on its back seemed ready to bloom, so it wouldn't be long until it evolved into a pretty magnificent Venusaur.

"Ivy Ivy!"

The Ivysaur whipped out two long grass tentacles, and reached down the hole with them. May countered by releasing her Blaziken.

"Blaziken! Use Flamethrower on those whips!"

Blaziken took a deep breath, and released a ball of fire, which shot straight into the Vine Whip.

"Ivysaur!" moaned Ivysaur, swaying from side to side in pain.

"Ivy! It's okay, baby! Mommy's here!"

Charlie rushed to his pokemon's side, nursing it in his arms. He glared down at Blaziken.

"You!" he snarled, before kissing his Ivysaur's forehead. "You beast!"

May jumped in front of Blaziken, defending it. "Blaziken is not a beast! _You _and your brother are the beasts! You dug a pit hole! And dropped someone in it!!"

Harley snorted, and pushed his brother out of the way. "Darling, all's fair in love and war!"

"This is not love and war!" said May angrily. Blaziken nodded in agreement. "This is just two mean people, dropping unsuspecting people into holes!"

"Mean people?" said Harley, his nostrils flaring. "I'm not the mean person! You are!"

"What?"

"You heard me!" snarled Harley. "You and your 'Oh-I'm-So-Cute' act always beat me in all the contests. You even landed me in jail!"

"You shouldn't have tried to drag me off like that, Harley!" said May, remembering the terrible moment when Harley tried to snatch her away.

"It would've worked if your little boyfriend hadn't stuck up to you!" said Harley, clenching his fists at the memory.

"Drew isn't my boyfriend!" said May angrily, but she hung her head, and said in a quieter voice, "I'm not sure if we're even friends."

Charlie got up from mothering the Ivysaur. "You and Danny have broken up!?"

"Drew," corrected May. Charlie squealed in delight.

"You admitted that you love him!" he babbled, barely making any sense.

"What!? I did not!"

"Charlie, let me do this," said Harley, pushing his over excited red-haired sibling away. He looked down at May. "So, then, Maysie? How are you going to get out there, hon?"

May fumbled in her bag, embarrassed. "Well, I... uh..."

She clasped a pokeball, and grinned. "Like this!"

She threw the pokeball, releasing a large, blue, snake-like pokemon, but about 50 times the size of a normal snake.

"Gyaaahh!" screeched the pokemon, as its head emerged from the hole, glaring at the brothers.

"You have a _Gyarados_?!" questioned Harley in disbelief. He muttered to his brother, "Charlie, I'm not sure if this'll work, hon..."

May started to climb up Gyarados' back determinedly, scraping her knees on Gyarados' rough scales.

Charlie grinned evily. "Ivy, use Frenzy Plant!"

Ivysaur gave a large roar.

"I... Vee... SAUR!!"

Dozens of gnarled branched shot from the ground, whipping against Gyarados.

"Gyaahh!"

Gyarados, being a Water Type, and the Frenzy Plant being the strongest Grass Type move, collapsed back into the hole, squashing May. Blaziken, though, had managed to dodge the heavy pokemon.

"Gyarados, you can do it!" called a muffled voice from beneath Gyarados. Gyarados shook its body, and started to get up. "I knew you could do it!"

May once again started to clamber up the Gyarados. Charlie grinned again.

"Ivy, hon, use Frenzy Plant again, full power, sweetcakes!"

Ivysaur roared once more.

"I... Vee... SAUR!!"

Even more gnarled branched appeared from the ground, whipping Gyarados furiously. Gyarados roared in pain, and collapsed once again, this time unconscious. Gyarados was obviously in a very bad shape, but May was too distraught to notice at the time.

"Gyarados!" called May, who had luckily not been squashed this time. Blaziken waved its arms furiously at the two siblings above the hole. May sadly returned Gyarados. "You did your best, Gyarados. Thanks."

Gyarados disappeared into the red and white ball, and May sank onto her knees. She thought about using Tentasha, but Tentasha's Psychic abilities weren't strong enough yet to carry people. Harley and Charlie laughed coldly.

"Aww, is Maysie stuck?" mocked Harley. Charlie giggled.

"I'm glad you persuaded me to stop being a florist!" he said happily, sneering down at the young girl in the deep pit. "I had no idea that torturing small children could be so fun!"

"Hey!" yelled May, getting up to her feet. "I am not a small child! I'm almost thirteen years old!"

The brothers burst into laughter.

"Wow!" said Harley, wiping tears from his eyes. "You're such a big girl!"

Charlie fell onto the floor, laughing so hard that his sides ached. May clenched her fists.

"I'll get out of here, you wait!"

Charlie got up from the ground, still smiling horribly. "Why won't you let us help you, Maysie?"

"I'd never trust you!" said May, and Blaziken nodded behind her. "Harley, how did you get away from the jail?"

Harley looked down at his shoes, looking embarrassed. "Ugh, don't remind me! That Team Rocket rescued me, so that I can help them capture you. So far, I was knocked out of their balloon."

"Serves you right!" said May. Blaziken agreed by shooting a ball of flame at the two cruel brothers.

"Ah! Keep that monster under control!" shrieked Charlie. "I just did my hair, and I don't want scorch marks!"

"Blaze Blaziken!" said Blaziken angrily.

"Ivy Ivy!" replied Ivysaur, leaning over the hole.

"Blaze Blaze!" (What did you say?)

"Ivy!" (You should be put down!)

"BLAZE!?" (What?!)

"Saur Saur!" (You heard me! You could've burnt my Master!)

"Blaze Ken!" (You tried to capture my Master!)

"Saur Ivysaur!" (Shut up, you birdbrain.)

Hearing this, Blaziken went furious. It angrily swiped Ivysaur with its fiery claws. Ivysaur collapsed into the hole.

"Ivy, return!" said Charlie in his squealing voice. The red light from the pokeball, though, couldn't reach the Ivysaur.

"Ivy Ivy!" said Ivysaur, trying to scramble up the walls, but failed miserably.

"Well well!" said Harley, grinning. "Twerpette has a hostage!"

May looked down at the Ivysaur, who was desperately trying to clamber up towards its Master. May looked down at her feet, thinking hard.

'I could use Ivysaur as the key to get me out of here safe... but it's cruel to do that...'

May made her decision.

"Blaziken, pick up Ivysaur, and hold it up as high as you can!" she commanded. Bemused, Blaziken reluctantly held up the squirming Grass Pokemon in its claws.

"Ivy, hon, return!" said Charlie again, and this time, Ivysaur disappeared into the pokeball. Blaziken wiped its claws on its body, as if it didn't want to have any 'Ivy germs'.

Harley sneered at May. "Oh, being the good guy, huh, hon? Well, how're you going to get out?"

May looked around desperately. The deep pit was way too high for her to climb. Only Gyarados could help her, but it was knocked out in its pokeball, and too injured anyway.

"I don't know," said May quietly, refusing to look up. Harley cackled.

"Sorry, I didn't hear you! Could you repeat that?" said Harley, giggling. May looked up.

"I don't know!" she said loudly, clenching her fists. A tear fell from her eye. "I don't know."

Charlie laughed. "Of course you don't! You're a twerp!"

"Ariados, use String Shot to get that puny punk out of there, and make sure you don't release her!" ordered Harley.

May quickly dodged again, but the string caught up with her, and wrapped around her body. Slowly, the string around her chest got tighter and tighter, making it harder for May to breathe.

"Maysie is turning purple!" squealed Charlie, clapping his hands in delight. Harley flicked his long hair.

"I love purple!" he said, gesturing at his hair. Charlie giggled as May gasped for breath. Harley sighed.

"Okay, my sweet Ariados!" he called, looking down at the large red pokemon. "Reel her in!"

"Harr!" said Ariados, and began to drag a squirming May up the pit. May struggled desperately, but the lack of air was getting the better of her. Her vision started to fade away, and soon, everything was black. She fell limp as she was hoisted up the hole.

"Absol, use Razor Wind!"

May felt the string being cut, and fell back down into the hole.

"Flygon, go and get her!"

May was swept up into the sky, and dropped lightly on the ground. She rubbed her eyes, and looked up. Standing over her was Drew, surrounded by his pokemon.

"Roselia, use Supersonic on Harley and that other creep!"

"Ros!"

Soon, the two brothers were completely dazed.

"Good. Now, Butterfree, Flygon! Use Whirlwind!"

"Fly Fly!"

"Bree Bree!"

"What's going on?" said a confused Harley, as he and his sibling were cast into a small tornado.

"Harder!" shouted Drew. The two Flying Pokemon flapped their wings even harder, and soon, Harley and his brother were blasting to the sky.

"Looks like we're going to steal Team Rocket's motto!" cried Harley, as he, Ariados, Stantler, Cacturne and Charlie were zooming through the air.

"What is the motto?" questioned Charlie, who was somehow riding in mid-air on Stantler's back.

"Looks like Team Annoying are blasting off again!"

The group of villains disappeared with a twinkle and a star.

May staggered to her feet, still light-headed from the lack of oxygen she had just experienced.

"Are you okay?" asked Drew, as he stroked Flygon's head. May nodded slowly.

"I think."

With that, she collapsed onto Drew. Drew quickly caught her, and let her to lie on the stony floor of the quiet alley.

"How long were you in that string, May?" he asked seriously, returning all of his pokemon.

"A few minutes," said May weakly, rubbing her forehead. The light-headedness was starting to fade away. "I can't remember much, it went all dark..."

"I've had such a relaxing day," sighed Drew, sitting beside May. "Chased by a gang of girls, you falling into the pit, and we had a..."

"Fight," finished May wearily. She looked up at Drew, and sat up. "Drew, I'm sorry."

Drew shook his head. "Don't. It was me that yelled."

"But I shouldn't have tried to force you to praise Absol," protested May, but Drew shook his head again.

"I guess rivals always fight," he sighed, looking down.

"I don't think we're rivals," said May suddenly. Drew looked up at her, hope in his eyes.

"What are we, then?" he said anxiously, as May got up from the ground.

"I think we're friends," said May, helping Drew up from the dusty cobbled floor. She was obviously feeling better now.

"Yeah, I guess we are," sighed Drew, but then flicked his hair. "Just 'cause we're friends again, though, don't expect me to go soft on you in the contests."

May held up her fists playfully, fire in her eyes. "Oh, even if you'll try your best, you'll never beat me!"

"In your dreams," sneered Drew. May opened her mouth to retort, but her PokeNav started to rumble.

"Huh?" she muttered to herself, taking it out of her bag. "I didn't know I could receive text messages on this!"

Drew shrugged. "I guess you can now. What does it say?"

"Dear May," read May, looking at the small screen of the PokeNav, "the Goldenrod City Contest has been rescheduled to Saturday, which is in two days time. Please inform all Co-ordinators that are heading toward Goldenrod City. Best wishes, Mr Contesta."

Drew's eyes were wide with shock.

"Two days?" he said, stunned. "But it's a week's journey to Goldenrod on foot!"

May pocketed her PokeNav. "I guess we'll have to find a way..."

"Hang on..." said Drew quietly. "Isn't there a river leading to Goldenrod from Azalea?"

"Yeah," said May, blinking blankly. "Why?"

"We can use Gyarados to get there!" said Drew, gesturing wildly. May's face lit up.

"Oh yeah!" she exclaimed. Suddenly, her face went white. "Gyarados is in a bad condition, though."

Drew started to hurry towards the direction of the Pokemon Centre.

"C'mon!" he called over his shoulder, and they both sprinted towards the Centre.

"Hello!" greeted Nurse Joy, as the two co-ordinators ran into the reception area, panting. "How may I help?"

"I need..." panted May, gasping for breath, "...you... to help... my Gyarados..."

Nurse Joy nodded. "Right away."

May handed Gyarados' pokeball to Nurse Joy, and Nurse Joy handed it to her Chansey.

"Chansey Chansey!" said Chansey, as it placed the pokeball on a stretcher. Nurse Joy and Chansey then hurried away into the Intensive Care Unit.

May sighed. "I hope Gyarados will be okay... I can't believe I forgot that it was in such a bad condition..."

Drew patted her shoulder sympathetically, and said in a soft voice, "Hey, you were in bad condition too."

May let Drew lead her to the Waiting Room, where she slumped onto the nearest chair. Drew sat down on a chair opposite of her.

May sat staring at the large sign of a needle, willing the red light to fade and Nurse Joy to step out smiling. But the night soon fell, and there was no sign of Nurse Joy, Chansey or Gyarados.

As May worried about her pokemon, Drew had dozed off, but was woken abruptly by a sudden sob.

"It's all my fault!" wailed May. Drew made his way towards her, and sat beside her.

"No it isn't," he soothed, but May refused to be calmed.

"Even after Ivysaur had used Frenzy Plant once on Gyarados, I didn't return it!" she cried, clenching her fists in frustration as she sprang up from her chair.

"Frenzy Plant isn't usually lethal," said Drew, still attempting to calm May down. "It was impossible to know Ivysaur's strength."

May sniffed. 'I guess."

She slumped back into the chair, and tucked her head over her knees. The night wore on.

The more worried May got, the more worried Drew got. May burst into tears several more times, and each time, Drew managed to soothe her. He was now pretty good at calming her.

Eventually, they both fell into an uneasy sleep, shifting uncomfortably on the stiff chairs. Drew had taken off his jacket, and May was using it as some sort of pillow. Drew was leaning over a small side table, his head resting on his arms.

At the crack of dawn, the red light on the needle-sign disappeared. The two worried co-ordinators woke up in the sudden darkness.

"What's going on?" yawned May, rubbing her eyes. She saw Nurse Joy standing in front of them. Drew sat up.

"Is Gyarados ok?" he questioned immediately. Nurse Joy smiled.

"Gyarados is fine. It'll be as right as rain in a few hours!"

"Thank Goodness!" breathed May, relieved. She stood up. "Can I go and see Gyarados?"

Nurse Joy nodded, and led Drew and May into the Intensive Care unit. Because of Gyarados' size, it had taken up ten beds, and most of the room.

"Gyahh," it said softly, as May approached.

"Gyarados!" said May, and hugged her pokemon tightly. Gyarados nuzzled her body in greeting.

"Gyahh!"

Drew stroked Gyarados' face. "It's great that you're ok, Gyarados."

Gyarados nodded happily. Chansey waddled towards Gyarados with a large red bucket and a squashy sponge.

"Chansey!" it said happily, and started to dab Gyarados' body with the wet sponge.

"Gyarados, being a Water Type, needs to be cooled down," explained Nurse Joy to the bewildered faces of Drew and May. May smiled at her pokemon.

"I'm so glad that you're okay!" she said, hugging Gyarados again. Gyarados growled softly, and fell asleep.

Drew pulled on his jacket.

"I guess we should get something to eat," he said, gesturing towards the door. May nodded, and patted her Gyarados.

"We'll be back soon, okay?" she whispered to the slumbering sea serpent.

"We have a small cafeteria," said Nurse Joy, as they all left Gyarados and Chansey. "Would you like to eat there?"

May nodded eagerly, grinning. "Yes please!"

As if in reply, May's stomach rumbled.

"I guess my stomach knows it's breakfast time!" she laughed. Nurse Joy led Drew and May to another room, with a Blissey happily making pancakes.

"Blissey!" said the pokemon, bounding towards Nurse Joy in its pink apron. Nurse Joy smiled.

"This is the Pokemon Centre cook, Blissey!" she explained, as Blissey hopped up and down excitedly.

"Blissey Blissey!"

Drew and May greeted the happy pink pokemon, and soon, Blissey was making them some pancakes. Nurse Joy had returned to tend to Gyarados in the other room.

"This is delicious!" gushed May, as she took the first bite of the syrup-covered pancake. Drew nodded in agreement, his cheeks full of pancakes.

"You bet they are!" he said, as he swallowed his mouthful. He then shoveled another pancake into his mouth, and then another and another and another. May stared at him in disbelief.

"I had no idea you have such an appetite!" she gasped, as Drew ate his fifth helping. Drew shrugged.

"I haven't eaten anything since yesterday," he said, as he swallowed yet another mouthful. May laughed, and they both ate their breakfast contently.

"Bliss!" said the cheerful cook, as Drew finished his last helping (which was his eleventh). May had only eaten three helpings, which was probably a record for her; a record for eating the least amount of pancakes ever.

"Thanks, Blissey, those were great!" she said, as they both got up from their table. Blissey zoomed towards the table, scooped up the dirty dishes, and then hurried back to the kitchen.

"Is it me," said Drew, as they left the cafeteria, "or are all of Nurse Joy's pokemon workaholics?"

May smiled. "I guess they are! But they love their jobs, and they wouldn't give them up for the world."

Suddenly, May burst into laughter.

"What?!" questioned Drew, as May collapsed giggling. "Is there something on my face?!"

"As a matter of fact," laughed May, clutching her sides from the laughing, "there is!"

Drew caught sight of himself in one of the windows, and saw that his face was covered in golden syrup.

"...Oh," he muttered awkwardly, trying to rub the sticky substance off. May giggled some more, and pulled herself together.

"Okay, I'll stop," she said, and watched Drew as he tried his best to wipe the syrup off as they went back to Gyarados' room.

"Chans!" greeted Chansey, as the two young co-ordinators entered the room. "Chansey Chans!"

"Hey, Chansey," said Drew, still trying to wash his face. Chansey zoomed towards Drew, the bucket of water in one hand, and the big wet sponge in the other.

"Chan... _sey_!"

Chansey pounced on Drew, scrubbing his face vigorously. May started her laughter again.

"Chans Chans!" said Chansey happily, as it continued to rub Drew's face with the sponge, while sitting on top of him. Eventually, after a lot of struggling, Drew pushed Chansey off of him.

"Chans!" said Chansey, as Drew got up from the floor, shaking slightly. Being scrubbed on the face by a huge pink thing isn't exactly a soothing experience. May laughed even more when she saw his face.

"What did that pink blob do to my face?" questioned Drew, slightly worried.

"_You're _the pink blob!" giggled May, and she held up her pocket mirror.

Drew took the mirror from her, and peered into it. His face was totally pink, and his cheeks were very red.

May's laugh died down as the pink on Drew's face started faded away. Gyarados, who had woken up when it'd heard the thump that Chansey and Drew had created when they toppled over, had also been laughing.

"Gyah Gyah Gyah!"

Drew glared at the sea serpent as it chortled at him. Nurse Joy entered the room, and stared at Drew the moment she saw him.

"What's wrong with your face?!" she asked worriedly. Drew sighed.

"He's been Chansified!!" said May, resuming to her laughter. Gyarados joined in, thumping its tail happily as it laughed.

"Gyah Gyah Gyah!"

Nurse Joy shook her head, laughing. "Chansey has a slight problem with cleanliness."

Chansey frowned.

"Chansey Chans!" (I do not!)

Drew flicked his hair, but it got caught between his fingers. "Ugh, my hair's all sticky."

"CHANSEEEEY!"

Chansey had dived once again on Drew, but this time with a bottle of shampoo and a shower nozzle that was connected to the tap.

"Chans Chans!"

Drew was yet again being crushed by Chansey, as it happily washed his hair. Chansey snatched a blanket from one of Gyarados' many beds, and dried his hair roughly. When Drew finally managed to get up, his hair was very fluffy.

"You look like a Vulpix's tail!!" said May, tears in her eyes from laughing. Drew quickly flattened his hair, blushing lightly. He hated being embarrassed, especially in front of May.

"Ok, calm down, you're making Gyarados over-excited," said Nurse Joy sternly, and her words were true. Gyarados had toppled from its many beds, laughing in its pokemon way.

"Gyah Gyah Gyah Gyah Gyah Gyah Gyah Gyah!"

Chansey, who had enormous strength, hoisted Gyarados back into its beds, and tucked it in firmly, before returning to dabbing Gyarados' body.

"Chansey is a good nurse," sighed Nurse Joy, watching Chansey shoving the sponge into Gyarados' mouth, "but sometimes it can get a bit... eager?"

Drew pointed at his face. "I know what you mean."

Nurse Joy slumped down on a nearby chair, which surprised May. Nurse Joy isn't someone that usually looks so down in the dumps.

"Chansey doesn't do well with the other staff pokemon here," she said sadly. "Just yesterday it used Hyper Beam on Blissey."

May gasped, shocked. "That's awful! But why would Chansey do such a thing?"

"Every time there's a new staff pokemon here, even if it's just a Machoke coming to do a delivery, Chansey is always chalenging them. It upsets all the other pokemon, who are patients," explained Nurse Joy, sighing. "I just don't know what to do with Chansey."

Just as Nurse Joy said that, Blissey entered the room, clutching a bowl of Poke Chow in its hands.

"Bliss!" it said happily, placing the food beside Gyarados. Gyarados nodded appreciatively. But Chansey looked ready to kill.

"Chansey!" it growled, hopping down from one of Gyarados' beds. "Chansey Chans!"

Blissey cowered away from Chansey, using its pink apron as a shield.

"Chansey!" said Chansey angrily, as it powered up a Focus Punch.

"Chansey, no!" shouted Nurse Joy, but it was too late. Chansey charged towards Blissey, raising its fist.

But Chansey didn't hit Blissey. Blissey peered from behind the apron, trying to work out why it wasn't feeling any pain.

Chansey was panting, looking very shocked. Nurse Joy gasped in horror. Chansey had hit Drew.

Lying in front of Blissey was Drew. He had dived in front of Blissey at the last moment, shielding it from Chansey. Chansey had hit him very hard.

"Drew!" said May, rushing towards him. Nurse Joy was still ashen-faced, staring at Chansey in disbelief.

"Drew, are you alright?" asked May, panicking. Chansey's Focus Punch had charged up a lot, and looked very strong. Drew stirred on the floor.

May sighed in relief. "Thank Goodness."

Drew sat up slowly, clutching his stomach, where Chansey had attacked him.

"Is Blissey alright?" he asked hoarsely. May nodded slowly, gesturing towards Blissey behind them. Blissey ran towards Drew, and hugged him tightly.

"Blissey Bliss."

Drew patted Blissey's back.

"I'm glad you're okay," he said, his voice still hoarse. May attempted to hoist him up from the floor, but he groaned in pain.

"Don't," he said, his voice slightly stronger. May obediently dropped his arm.

Nurse Joy shook her head, pulling herself together.

"Chansey!" she said angrily. "How dare you attempt to attack Blissey! Looked what you did!"

Chansey looked ready to burst into tears, but Drew stood up for it.

"It isn't Chansey's fault," he said, sitting up again, groaning quietly. "Chansey must've been scared of being replaced, so that's why it was attacking staff pokemon."

May nodded. "It must've been terrified of being kicked out onto the streets."

"Chansey!" sighed Nurse Joy, leaning down at it. "You know I'd never kick you out. But, now that you've injured someone, I'm afraid you can't stay here anymore."

Chansey's lower lip trembled, ready to cry.

"Chansey, I know it's hard, but I'm afraid I'll have to release you," said Nurse Joy gently. Chansey's eyes filled up with tears as Nurse Joy took of its nurse cap.

"What's going to happen to Chansey?" asked May softly, looking up at Nurse Joy. Nurse Joy sighed.

"I'm not sure," she sighed.

"I'll take it," said Drew suddenly. The two females looked down at him in surprise.

"What?" said May, checking if she'd heard correctly.

"I'll be Chansey's Master," said Drew, struggling to his feet. Chansey blinked away the tears, and peered up at Drew.

"Are you sure?" asked Nurse Joy seriously. Drew nodded.

"Yeah. After Masquerain left, I thought I needed a new pokemon."

Chansey burst into tears of joy.

"Chansey Chans Chans!" it said, hugging Drew gratefully. Drew tried his best to not groan, because his stomach was still very sore.

"So, Chansey's joining us?" asked May uncertainly. Drew nodded firmly again.

"Yeah," he said, and looked up at Nurse Joy. "Does Chansey have a pokeball?"

Nurse Joy nodded, and produced a shiny pokeball from her apron pocket. "Here it is!"

Drew took it from her, and turned to Chansey.

"Do you want me to be your new Master?" he asked, and Chansey nodded eagerly. Laughing, Drew threw the pokeball at it, and soon, it was safe in the pokeball.

"That's the weirdest catch I think you've ever made," said May, laughing. Drew joined in. But Nurse Joy looked very upset.

"I'll miss Chansey," she said sadly, looking at the pokeball in Drew's hand. "Take good care of Chansey."

Drew nodded, and turned to May. "It's best if we get going. Is it okay to take your Gyarados now?"

Nurse Joy smiled through her sadness. "I think that laughing fit boosted up its recovery. Yes, you may return it to your pokeball."

"Great!" said May, happy that she could have her Gyarados back. She turned to face Gyarados. "Gyarados, return!"

Gyarados disappeared from the beds, and into May's pokeball. She hugged the pokeball, then pocketed it. Drew pocketed Chansey's pokeball too.

"I guess it's time for us to go now," he said, nodding to Nurse Joy. "If we're going to get to Goldenrod on Gyarados' back, we'd better get going."

Nurse Joy smiled at them as she led them outside. "I hope I see you soon!"

Drew and May walked off, waving behind them.

"Bye!"

They disappeared into the distance, leaving Nurse Joy waving after them. Blissey came tottering towards her.

"Bliss?" it asked, peering up. Nurse Joy smiled softly.

"I guess you're our new nurse, Blissey!" she said, putting the nurse cap on Blissey's head. Blissey squealed in delight.

Nurse Joy laughed, and they both went back into the Pokemon Centre, happy that Chansey had found a new trainer.

-----

The river danced around May's ankles as she giggled in glee. Beside her, Gyarados was happily splashing around in the cool, calming water, as Drew tried his best to calm it down.

"Gyarados, if you want to enter a contest, you have to stay still!" he said, irritated. Gyarados settled down, and Drew hoisted himself up on its back. May stared up at Drew, an odd look on her face.

"C'mon, get up," said Drew in an annoyed tone. His stomach was much better, and he was back to his arrogant self.

May shuffled her feet on the rocky bottom of the river.

"Can't you climb?" sneered Drew. May stomped her feet angrily, jabbing them on a rock.

"Ouch!" she said, toppling over into the water as the pain shoot up her big toe. "That hurt!"

Drew sighed as he slid off Gyarados' back.

"That's what happens when a rock hits your foot," he said, hauling her up from the water. May pushed him away.

"I can get up from the water myself, thanks," she huffed. Drew scoffed.

"Can you get up on Gyarados, then?" he sneered, as he climbed up Gyarados' back.

"You bet I can!" said May. She tried to scrabble up Gyarados' back, but failed miserably. Drew laughed from Gyarados' neck, from which he had climbed up to.

"I just need a running start," said May awkwardly, as she backed away from Gyarados. She then sped straight towards it, took a mighty leap, and...

Thumped into Gyarados.

"Gyah!" said Gyarados in shock. It didn't expect May to whack into it.

Drew laughed as he slid down Gyarados' back, and landed in the shallow waters of the gentle river. He scooped May up in his arms.

"What are you doing?!" she demanded, flailing her fists and feet.

"Getting you on," he said simply, and May hooked her arms around his neck as he climbed. He clambered up Gyarados' back one-handedly, and put May between two of Gyarados' fins.

"There!" said Drew, quite proud of himself for being able to pick her up easily.

May scowled at Drew.

"I could've gotten up there myself, you know," she said moodily, folding her arms.

"Oh yeah?" sneered Drew, positioning himself behind her. "I only helped you because I didn't want Gyarados to have bruises on its body."

May glared at him, and turned away.

"Gyarados!" she said suddenly, grabbing onto one of its fins. "Go, now!"

Gyarados obeyed immediately, and zoomed up the river. Drew, who hadn't expected this, almost fell off, before grabbing onto a fin. May laughed triumphantly.

"At least I can _stay_ on!" she giggled, as the wind blew through her hair. Drew glared at her as he sat back up.

They traveled along the river, enjoying the warm weather that Johto rarely had. But, unfortunately, around lunchtime, the sky darkened.

"What's happening?" questioned May, peering into the shadowy sky. Many clouds had appeared, hiding the sun away. Gyarados stopped swimming up the river to gaze up into the gloomy heavens.

"I think it's going to rain," said Drew, also staring up. And, Speak of the Devil, a droplet of rain landed on them.

"Hopefully it won't be too rainy," sighed May, and, Speak of the Devil, more downpour decided to fall down on them.

Drew slowly clambered up Gyarados' neck, until finally sitting on its head.

"Gyahhhh!" (Get off of me, or I'll drown you, you numbskull!!)

Drew ignored Gyarados' strange threat, and continued to stare up to the sky.

"May, I think we should be expecting a-," he began, but a huge bang and flash interrupted him, and more rain fell down on them.

"-storm," he finished quietly. May stared around them desperately.

"There's no shelter!" shouted May over the gales that had developed.

"What?" yelled Drew over the noisy wind.

"I said, there's no shelter!" shouted May. Drew bit his lip.

"You better return Gyarados," he said after a while. May nodded, and they both slipped off its back onto the slippery riverbank.

"Gyarados, return!" said May, and Gyarados evaporated into the red and white ball. She turned to Drew, panicking slightly. "Now what?"

Drew ripped a pokeball from his belt.

"Flygon, I choose you!"

"Fly Fly!" (Cor, it's rainin'!)

Drew rolled his eyes. "Statement of the year."

"Fly!" said Flygon huffily, folding its arms. May glared at Drew.

"Sorry, Flygon," he sighed, but smiled softly at the green dragon. "Flygon, can you use Protect over me, May and yourself?"

Flygon's eyes glowed an eerie blue, and there was suddenly a shining dome protecting them all from the pounding rain.

"Great job, Flygon!" said Drew, stroking Flygon's tufty hair. "Now, return."

"Fly!"

Soon, Flygon was safe in its pokeball. Drew sat down on the bank, gazing around the dome they were in.

"Man, this is weird..." he muttered to himself. May laughed quietly.

"I wonder how long this storm'll last?" she wondered, partly to herself.

_**BANG.**_

May squealed in terror, and clutched the nearest object she could find.

"May, could you please get off me?" said Drew's angry voice, which was very muffled. May blushed

"Sorry," she said apologetically. She slipped off Drew's lap, but sat very close to him. "That thunderclap just surprised me a bit."

"Surprised?" teased Drew, smirking. "More like terrified!"

May scowled at him. Drew continued to tease her, so she eventually moved to the other side of the 3 metre bubble-dome they were in, her back facing him.

"I was only kidding..." muttered Drew to himself.

'Girls don't like that,' said T.A.V.

'No! You're back!' groaned Drew to his conscience.

'Yes, I am,' said Steve quite happily. 'Now, stop mocking her, you jerk.'

'I'm not a jerk!' protested Drew. 'I'm just... well, I don't know what describes me.'

'Arrogant? Bossy? Cruel? Down-heartening? Exp-,'

'Ok, ok, you don't have to go through the alphabet.'

'Well, what do I have to do to make you admit that you love her?!'

'How did that come into the conversation?!'

'It's my job, you know. Talking about romance.'

'What romance?'

'The one between you and May, duh.'

'We don't have a romance though!'

'But you admitted that you had feelings for her...!'

'That isn't romance! And when did I admit that?'

'I have plenty of flashbacks...' began Steve, his voice fading away.

'No, no, I'm alright. I can remember now.'

'But why can't you admit that you love her?'

'Because I don't!'

'Will you admit that you have feelings?'

'I already have.'

'To her?'

'No! Well, I mean... I don't even know if she has feelings for me.'

'She just dived onto your lap and clutched you as if she was never going to let you go. Yes, she likes you,' said Steve, annoyed.

'But don't all girls do that?'

'I didn't see Ally or Soledad catapulting themselves on top of you every time they saw you.'

'But May doesn't fling her body at me each time she sees me. She only does it when she's scared.'

'Poor May,' mocked Steve.

'Don't do that!'

'What? It's exactly what you do to her.'

'It... is?'

'Yes. You're always being a sarcastic jerk that never listens to what she has to say. I'm amazed that you have fans.'

Drew ran his hands through his hair. Steve, however manic he is, was right. Drew was an arrogant, bossy, cruel, down-heartening and exp-whatever person. But he had been that way all his life, but even more horrible towards May. Why, he asked himself. Why was he such a jerk to May?

He heard May sniff from the other side of the dome. It was hard to believe that she still had the cold since the snow incident, but on the other hand, it had only happened just over a week ago.

May's body was quivering in the cold of the sudden storm. She rubbed her bare arms vigorously, attempting to warm herself up. She had thought about releasing Blaziken to light a fire, but Blaziken was too tall to even crouch in the dome. Her teeth were clattering rather loudly.

Drew stood up, pulling off his jacket as he got to his feet. May looked up at him as he approached, her face full of curiosity.

"Here," said Drew quietly, wrapping the jacket around her cold body. She smiled up at him, grateful. But she was still shivering a lot. Drew, who had been brought up in a freezing city, and was used to his sort of weather, sat down beside her, and wrapped his arm around her, to keep her warm. May rested her head on his warm chest, nuzzling her cheeks into the soft fabric of his soft black top. They both leant against the dome's wall, staring up to the stormy heavens, or just closing their eyes, thinking.

The rain that was pounding down on the dome started to get lighter, and soon, there was no rain to be seen. The dark clouds that were shielding the sun were finally blown away, revealing the hot ball of fire that was the sun. The sudden sunlight resulted in the temperature rising. Drew shifted around on the damp grass.

"I think it's alright to get rid of this dome," said Drew finally, getting up. He threw Flygon's pokeball.

"Fly Fly!" (Cor, it's sunny!)

"Flygon, can you get rid of this dome?" asked Drew, ignoring Flygon's greeting. Flygon nodded, rather hurt from not being greeted back, and hit the dome that it had created with its tail.

"Great, thanks," said Drew, patting Flygon's head before returning it to its ball.

May breathed in the fresh air as she stood up. Drew's jacket fell off her shoulders, on onto the ground. She didn't seem to notice.

"How grateful," sighed Drew, scooping up the jacket from the grass and putting it on. May turned around to face him, and Drew saw that she was blushing very lightly.

"Thanks, for keeping me... warm," she said, rather awkwardly. Drew smiled back at her.

"Grateful now, aren't we?" he teased playfully. May stuck out her tongue, the pink tinge on her cheeks disappearing in an instant. Drew chuckled as she threw a pokeball.

"Gyarados!" she called, as the sea serpent splashed into the river. Gyarados was having so much fun playing in the rough waters that it didn't even notice May's call.

"Gyarados!" yelled Drew. Gyarados froze, looking sheepish. May laughed.

"Ok, you've had your fun," she said, walking towards the playful pokemon. "It's time to go to Goldenrod now."

"Gyahh Gyahh!"

Drew smirked. "I take it that that you can get on yourself?" he sneered, hoisting himself up onto Gyarados' scaly back. May scowled.

"As a matter of fact," she huffed, "I can!"

She could, too, but it took her half an hour.

"A Slowpoke would have gotten up here quicker than you!" yelled Drew from Gyarados' neck, where he was stretching his body on. He tucked his arms behind his head, crossing his legs. "Need any help?"

May, who had finally sat herself on Gyarados' back, had now started to crawl slowly towards Drew, most likely to push him off.

"No, I don't!" she said moodily, but just as she said that, Gyarados decided to shake its whole body.

Drew, with his fast reflexes, quickly grabbed one of its fins, but May, who had snail-like reflexes, had collapsed onto the ground in a hopeless heap.

"Here," sighed Drew, hopping off Gyarados. He waded through the shallow waters, and helped a sodden May to get up from the river.

"I think I'll need some help..." she muttered quietly. Drew nodded, and, without a word, he scooped May into his arms, bridal-style.

May blushed heavily as Drew clambered up Gyarados. Every now and then, he would almost slip, and May would squeal in a frightened manner, but Drew would reassure her that he wasn't going to drop her. May started to regret ever catching a Magikarp, because its evolved form was way too big to climb. Drew was also regretting in letting May eat his slice of cake for lunch. It was awkward to get up there, but finally, after many slips and trips, they finally got on top of Gyarados' back.

"Why did I ever offer you my cake?" panted Drew, as he placed May on the scaly sea serpent's back. May stuck out her tongue.

"I was going to thank you," she said, sticking up her nose, "but if you're going to be rude, then forget it."

Drew chuckled, raising his eyebrows. "Isn't that a bit harsh?"

May scowled. "You're the one that called me fat."

"No, I said that you'd had one cake too many," said Drew, laughing. May glared at him for a while, but a smile soon crept over her face.

"But you know how much I like cake..." she said quietly, grinning sheepishly. Drew grinned.

"I guess we should get going," he said, turning away from May. He clambered up to Gyarados' big head. "Err... mush!"

Gyarados snorted.

"Gyah? Gyahh!" (Me? Mush? Pfft.)

May giggled from below Drew.

"Drew, Gyarados isn't a snow Gyarados!" she laughed. Drew frowned.

"What do you say, then?" he asked grumpily. May clambered up at him, avoiding the spiny fins on Gyarados' long neck.

"Just ask nicely," she said simply, smiling. "Gyarados, are you ready to go to Goldenrod City?"

Gyarados roared in its eagerness.

"Then let's go!" said May happily, punching the air with her fist. Gyarados roared once more, and soon, they were speeding up the river, the wind blowing through their hair.

Eventually, as the blue sky got pink and orange tinges to it, where the sun was setting, they arrived on the outskirts of Goldenrod City.

"We made it!" said May happily, as she and Drew slipped off Gyarados' back. May patted its back gratefully.

"Thanks Gyarados!" she said, stroking its side. "Take a good rest. Return!"

Gyarados disappeared into the pokeball for a well-deserved rest. The part of the river next to Goldenrod was much rougher than the Azalea Town part, so she and Drew hurriedly ran out of the river.

"Let's get some training done!" said May, as she brushed the water off her feet.

"Yeah, the contest is tomorrow, and we need to be prepared."

Drew ripped a pokeball from his belt. "Chansey, I choose you!"

Chansey appeared in front of him, flapping its arms happily.

"Chansey Chansey!"

May got out her PokeDex.

"Chansey," said a robotic voice. "People attempt to catch this pokemon for its nutritious eggs, but Chansey is a fairly rare pokemon. It is said that it will bring eternal happiness to those who capture it."

May flipped the PokeDex shut, and pocketed it.

"Are you feeling eternal happiness?" she asked. Drew shrugged.

"I'm happy that I have a new pokemon, but I'm not exactly jumping in joy," he said, as Chansey continued to skip around him.

"Chans Chans!"

"I guess I should see how well it is with combinations," said Drew, and turned to face Chansey.

"Chans!"

"Chansey, use..." he began, but then sweatdropped.

"What's wrong?" asked May, as she sat down on a nearby boulder. Drew laughed uncertainly.

"I have no idea what attacks Chansey knows," he admitted. May collapsed off the rock anime-style.

"How about Shadow Ball?" she suggested, once she sat back up. Drew nodded.

"Chansey, use Shadow Ball!"

A dark ball appeared between Chansey's arms. Drew nodded.

"Throw it in the air, and then use Hyper Beam!"

Chansey tossed the Shadow Ball into the now-darkening sky, and shot a Hyper Beam at it. The Shadow Ball exploded, covering the field that Drew and May had found themselves in with black powder.

"Wow!" said May, very impressed. "That was great!"

Drew flicked his hair. "Not bad, Chansey."

Chansey hopped up and down, flailing its little arms.

"Chansey Chans!"

May laughed, and she pulled out a pokeball from her bag.

"Tentie, come on out!"

Tentasha appeared before them, floating eerily. Its long blue dress-like armour flowed in the breeze, giving it a majestic appearance.

"Tenta!"

Tentasha sped towards Drew, its arms outstretched. Drew didn't have enough time to escape, so he was flattened by the over-affectionate pokemon.

"I love you too, Tentie, put please, get off me," he said, his voice muffled underneath Tentasha. Tentasha smiled.

"Tenta!" (No.)

May laughed, and dragged Tentasha off of Drew.

"Sorry about that," she said apologetically. Tentasha fluttered its eyelashes at Drew, giggling madly. Drew gulped.

"Is Tentasha a genetic mutant, created from a Gardevoir, a Tentacruel and one of those fan girls?" he asked warily, backing away from Tentasha. May shrugged.

"I guess Tentasha likes you a lot. I'm going to train it for a while," she said, turning away from Drew.

"Are you going to use Tentasha in the appeals round?" he questioned, as May walked away from him. May stopped in her tracks.

"Why are you asking?" she asked curiously, turning to face him. Drew shrugged.

"Just wondering," he said innocently. May narrowed her eyes.

"You just want to know my combinations!" she said. Drew smirked.

"Why would I do that?" he said, sneering. May threw up her fists.

"Let's battle!" she said suddenly. Drew looked a bit taken back, but then called his Chansey.

"Your Tentasha against my Chansey?" he suggested, and May nodded firmly.

"Both new pokemon, and we've never battled with them. Who's going to referee this match?" she asked, as she and Drew positioned themselves. Drew flicked his hair.

"I think I can manage to referee this match while battling," he smirked. May opened her mouth to give a smart reply, but Drew had already done the first move.

"Chansey, use Focus Punch!" he yelled. Chansey powered up its fists, and hit Tentasha hard in the face.

"Wow, that's powerful..." muttered May worryingly. "I wonder if Tentie knows any healing moves..."

"Aww, c'mon! Are you giving up already?" sneered Drew from the other side of the battling field. May threw up one of her fists.

"Tentie, use Recover!" she called. Drew's eyes went wide in surprise as Tentasha glowed an eerie blue, and its wounds disappeared.

"How did you know Tentasha knew that?!" he asked furiously. May smiled.

"Lucky, I guess!" she said happily. She then concentrated on the actual battle. "Tentie, use Psychic!"

"Tent... Ah... Sha!!"

Chansey was thrown up into the air, floating helplessly.

"Now use Psybeam!"

A multicoloured beam shot out of one of Tentasha's glowing red orb, and hit Chansey.

"Awesome!" said May happily. "Direct hit!"

Chansey was dropped onto the ground, quivering in the pain.

"Get up, Chansey!" called Drew from the side. Chansey staggered to its feet. "Alright, Chansey, use Body Slam!"

Chansey furrowed its brows in concentration, and sped towards Tentasha. Before Tentasha could counter, Chansey had dived on top of it, slamming it to the ground.

"Oh no!" said May, as Chansey proudly flexed its muscles. Tentasha got up to the air, wobbling slightly. "Since when did Chansey know Body Slam?"

Drew smirked. "That's the attack it used every time it pounced on me."

"Well, Tentasha and I still have a few tricks up our sleeves!" said May. She pointed at Chansey. "Use Hydro Pump!"

Jets of water blasted from Tentasha's mouth, hitting Chansey directly.

"I see you remembered that Tentasha is a Water Type," sneered Drew. "Chansey, Sky Upper Cut!"

"Huh?" said May, dumbstruck.

Chansey dragged its hands across the ground as it ran towards Tentasha, gathering more speed.

"Chan SEY!"

Chansey jumped up at Tentasha, and whacked it incredibly hard. Tentasha collapsed onto the ground.

"Tentie, get up!" said May desperately. Tentasha shook its head, and floated up once more. "Yeah! I knew you could to it! Now, use Psybeam again!"

Chansey, who had been standing right beside Tentasha, was seen soaring through the sky as it was hit by the powerful beam. But, somehow, it managed to land on its feet.

"That's one tough Chansey," said May quietly to herself. "I hope I'll be able to beat it..."

"Chansey, use Focus Punch!" called Drew. Chansey sped towards Tentasha, but Tentasha managed to dodge easily.

"Tentie, use Sludge!"

Chansey was covered in the poisonous gunk. It staggered around on the floor, dazed.

"Now use Psychic!" called May. Chansey was floated up into the air, right beside Tentasha.

"And now use Psy-," began May, but Drew interrupted her.

"Use Hyper Beam, Chansey!" he yelled. Chansey broke free of the Psychic, and managed to power up a huge Hyper Beam.

"Dodge, Tentie!"

But Tentasha didn't move fast enough. Chansey's Hyper Beam was a direct hit, and it fell to the ground, KO'd.

"Tentasha is unable to battle!" called Drew, taking the role of a referee. "Chansey is the winner! The victor is Drew, of La Rousse!"

May leaned down at Tentasha.

"Hey, you were great," she said softly. She took a pokeball from her bag. "Now you rest."

Tentasha smiled weakly before disappearing into the pokeball. Looking up, May saw Drew praising his Chansey.

"That was great Chansey," he said, before returning it to its pokeball. He turned to face May, a smirk on his face. "Still can't beat me, huh?"

"Hey, I beat you in the Grand Festival!" she protested, but Drew ignored her.

"You shouldn't have challenged me, May. But, you were pretty good out there," he said, flicking his bangs swiftly. May blushed.

"I-I was?" she stuttered, a light tinge on her cheeks. Drew laughed.

"Yeah, you have what it takes to be a top co-ordinator," he said, approaching her. May laughed uncertainly.

"I don't know about that," she said modestly. Drew shook his head.

"No, you were good," he said. "You'll do well in the contest tomorrow."

A fire lit up in May's eyes, flames dancing in her sapphire eyes. "What do you mean, I'll do well? I'll win!!"

Drew laughed. "In your dreams."

"No, I'm winning!" squealed May, but Drew continued to mock her. Tentasha shrugged, and glided off into the distance, to play in the river. Chansey blinked, and ran off after it. It then dived into the water, cannon ball-style, causing a small tsunami. Tentasha, after shaking off the water, attacked Chansey, and soon, they were battling, but in a playful manner.

"I will win!" said May, as she and Drew continued to quarrel. Drew smirked, and turned off, walking up a small hill. May ran after him.

"Don't walk away! You know I'll be the one getting the Goldenrod Ribbon!"

By the time she'd caught up with Drew, he had sat down on the soft grass, staring down at the city of Goldenrod.

"Man, I hope that this contest goes as planned," he muttered, as May sat herself beside him.

"What do you mean?" she questioned, looking up at him. Drew sighed.

"What I mean is, I hope there won't be another unfortunate event," he explained. May stared down at her feet, the memory of Typhlosion stinging in her mind.

"I hope so too," she said quietly. She fell silent, pushing dirt around with her finger. Drew gazed around the cliff they were on, and his eyes set on the sunset.

"The sunset sure is beautiful tonight," he sighed. May nodded beside him, looking up at the setting sun.

"It looks so pretty," she said breathlessly, her eyes shining in the dimming light. She leaned over the edge of the cliff to get a better look of the sunset, her eyes squinting.

Suddenly, there was a loud crack. The ground underneath May collapsed.

Everything seemed to happen in slow motion. May looked up at Drew, her mouth in a tiny 'o'. The ground beneath her tumbled. Suddenly, everything seemed to go back to normal speed.

"May!" yelled Drew, reaching out for her as she fell, but it was too late.

"Drew!" she screamed, as she fell down to the city beneath them.

"Flygon, rescue May!" said Drew, throwing a pokeball. Flygon emerged from the pokeball, but, sadly, its eyes were closed in a deep slumber.

"Drew!" screamed May again, getting nearer to the concrete ground of Goldenrod. But it was too late. May was falling to her doom.

Drew didn't hear the thud, but he knew that she had likely been killed on impact. His eyes stung. He stared down the cliff, calling desperately for May, but his eyes were so blurred that he could barely see anything. There was no answer, but many petrified screams from below.

May had likely fallen to her death.

-----

* * *

Don't kill me, please! This isn't the death scene! No! I would never kill May! Or Drew! Or Mime Jr! Or Jessie! Or James! Or Meowth! Or Wobuf- mm, well, maybe. XP No, don't worry, I am NOT, I repeat NOT going to kill the VERY important characters. Except for maybe Harley. Or his brother, Charlie. Did you like the motto? Made it up in ten whole seconds, I did ; I've planned the ending for this fanfiction: and I'll be stretching it all the way to the Grand Festival! But instead of the usual fice contests, there will be only three, and they will have a strange twist. Eheh. Giggle. I'm planning on doing a sequel someday, but I'll have to finish this one. Okay? By the way, I have no idea what I'm going to do with Jay. Would he enter another contest after his loss of Typhlosion? Beh, probably. I have a VERY good storyline for him. Manic laugh. Bahah.

The next chapter will be posted in... November? XD Nah, gimme a week, and it'll be on. I won't be doing anything for a couple of days, because I'm going to see Pirates Of The Carribean 3 tomorrow with a bunch of friends, and then sleep over. I'll be pretty drunk after that, so I'll be banned off the computer incase I look on inappropriate things upon the internet. Ok, enough blabbering.

Toodle-Pip!

* * *


	13. Chapter 13 : Terror

* * *

Finally! It's here! Thing is, it's very short. But I'm building up the suspense, you see. Something VERY unexpected is going to happen. And it has nothing to do with Contestshipping. I'll let you to figure it out for yourselves until I get back from my month-long holiday x

DISCLAIMER: Me no own Pokemon. Me no own nuffink. It is sucking to be me. Wah.

* * *

"Drew?"

Someone shook Drew's arm roughly.

"Drew, please wake up!"

Drew groaned sleepily as he sat up. He was on the cliff, where May was leaning over him, her face looking worried.

"Thank goodness you're okay!" she said, breathing out in relief. Drew blinked.

"Huh?"

Memories then came flooding into his mind.

"You! You- cliff- screaming-," Drew babbled. May bit her lip.

"I think that thump to the head did something to you," she said. Drew cocked his head.

"What thump?" he asked, confused. May sighed.

"Don't you remember at all?" she said, almost chewing her lip off. Drew shook his head.

"No."

"You see," said May, her lip now non-existent, "a passing Skarmory flew past, and one of its steel wings knocked you out."

Drew's jaw dropped down. "Y-you mean, I was KO'd?"

May nodded. "That's not all. The Skarmory started to panic, and was flailing its wings madly."

"You didn't do something stupid, did you?" said Drew suspiciously. May laughed.

"I see you're feeling better!" she said, but her face then returned to its gloom. "No, the Skarmory was mainly attacking you…"

"What?!" said Drew, shocked. "Man, why do pokemon keep attempting to kill me?!"

May ignored him. "I had to drag you away, and..."

"And?" Drew prompted. May shook her head.

"Never mind," she said, smiling weakly. "It doesn't matter."

Drew looked down. "Well, as long as we both are okay, I'm happy."

Looking up again, he saw that May was making her way back down to the pokemon. He quickly got up, and hurried after her.

'Man, my head hurts…' he complained to himself.

'Duh,' sneered his mean conscience.

By the time Drew had caught up with May, she was already returning her Tentasha, who had somehow managed to get covered in mud.

"Chansey, return!" said Drew, once he'd reached the large pink pokemon.

"Chans!" said Chansey happily, disappearing with a red glow.

Drew rubbed his head, still feeling a bit light-headed. May was now settling into the sleeping bag.

"Hey, May. D'you know when the contest starts tomorrow?" asked Drew, lying down beside her.

May nodded. "I think it starts at ten."

Drew stared up to the stars. "Then we better be up by seven!"

"Seven?!" wailed May. "But I need my beauty sleep!"

Drew snorted. "It'll take a month of beauty sleep for you to get pretty!"

May huffed, and turned her back on Drew. But Drew didn't mean it. He thought that May was actually very pretty.

Suddenly, he gasped.

"May, is that blood on your back?!"

May turned over quickly, so her back disappeared from view.

"No, no!" she said quickly, laughing fakely. "I just spilled some ketchup!"

Drew frowned. "On your back?"

"Y-yeah! Clumsy me!" said May hastily, laughing again. She hoisted up the sleeping bag, so it covered up her back, stopping Drew from getting a closer look.

"Okay then. G'night," said Drew, still not convinced. But, after his ordeal, he quickly fell asleep. Beside him, May sighed.

"I wonder how we'll do in the contest…" she said to herself.

Suddenly, there was a red flash coming from her bag. When the glow disappeared, it revealed her Blaziken.

"Blazeiken," it said softly, sitting beside her.

"Blaziken!" gasped May. "How did you get out of your pokeball?"

Blaziken shrugged. "Blaze Blaze." (Beats me.)

May laughed quietly. "Looking forward to the contest?"

Blaziken nodded eagerly.

"Blaziken Blaze!"

"Remember, though," said May, "that I maybe won't be using you."

Blaziken shrugged again. "Blaze." (Fine with me!)

May stroked her Blaziken's feathery arm.

"It'd be great to use you again…" she said. "But I think I should use my new additions."

Blaziken nodded. "Blaze Blaziken."

May smiled, and hugged her pokemon tightly.

"You're the best, Blaziken!" she said lovingly, rubbing her cheeks into the Bird Pokemon's soft feathers.

May soon returned her feathered friend to its pokeball. She glanced at Drew, who was sleeping peacefully beside her.

"Drew…" she sighed, as she slipped back underneath the covers of the sleeping bag.

Flashback 

"_Drew!" screamed May, as Drew was knocked unconscious by the metal bird's wing. Drew collapsed onto the floor._

_May hurried at him, her heart beating quickly. They were awfully close to the edge of the cliff, and one false move could result in both of their deaths._

"_Skar Skar!" screeched the metal bird, panicking from the sudden impact on its wings._

"_Skarmory, calm down!" pleaded May, leaning over Drew._

"_Skar Skar!" screeched Skarmory again, flailing its wings in blind panic._

"_Skarmory, stop!" cried May, but Skarmory was so shaken up from the experience of crashing into Drew that it just ignored May's calls._

_The Skarmory targeted an Iron Tail at the unconscious body that was Drew._

"_No!" screamed May. If Skarmory pushed Drew just a little to the side, he would be falling to his doom._

"_Skaaaaarr!"_

_May dived in front of the angered Skarmory. She screamed in pain as one of Skarmory's iron wings slashed at her back._

"_Skar Skarmory!"_

_Skarmory shook its wings, and took off, leaving May gasping in pain._

_After a few minutes of wincing to herself, May got to her feet unsteadily, and headed down the cliff. She could feel warmth on her back, where the Skarmory had slashed her._

_She changed, while keeping a watchful eye over the knocked out Drew, into a clean, bloodless top. But, because the slash was still fresh, some blood seeped onto her top, but she didn't bother to check. She hurried back up the cliff._

_She didn't want Drew to know that she had almost sacrificed herself for him. She leant down beside him._

"_Drew?" she said softly. Drew didn't respond._

_May roughly shook his arm._

"_Drew!"_

_Drew groaned sleepily. May sighed in relief._

"_Thank goodness you're ok!"_

May winced as she remembered the pain she experienced, for Drew's sake. 

"He better appreciate it," she muttered to herself.

"May! Get up!" 

May moaned in her sleep.

"Five more minutes, Mom," she groaned.

"I'm not your mother!" said Drew, outraged. May quickly sat up, her face flushing.

"S-sorry Drew!" she said apologetically. Drew smirked.

"I know we're close, May," he teased, grinning down at her, "but you don't have to go calling me your mother!"

May swatted his arm with the back of her hand.

"Meanie!" she laughed. Suddenly, her heart missed a beat.

"Drew! What's the time?!"

"May, don't worry. It's half past six. We'll get to the contest in no time!" Drew reassured.

May sighed in relief. "Good! Now, I'm starving!"

Drew smirked. "Well, look what Mommy made for you!"

He whipped a bacon sandwich from behind his back, and tossed it at May. May immediately sank her teeth into it.

"Mmm!" she gushed. "This is delicious!"

"Play your cards right, and maybe Mommy will make you some for lunch as well!" Drew said, straightening his jacket.

"You really love the fact that I called you Mom, don't you?" May teased. Drew smirked.

"It amuses me," he said simply.

May got up from the ground, brushing bread crumbs from her clothes. She saw a spot of red on the red part of her top.

"Oh," she mumbled. "I'm going to go change… don't follow me, okay?"

May quickly grabbed her bag, and rushed into the distance. Drew blinked.

"Uh?"

Curious, Drew followed May, keeping his distance.

May was leaning over the river, whipping of her top. Luckily, she was wearing a crop top underneath, so Drew didn't see her womanly bits. But he did see her back.

"May! What is that?!" he said in shock. May turned around in surprise.

"Drew!" she gasped. "It's… err, nothing!"

"It doesn't look like nothing!" said Drew furiously, hurrying at her. "What did you do to yourself?!"

May slowly put on a clean top. "N-nothing."

"May, this could be really serious!" said Drew firmly. May sighed.

"Drew, you're gonna think I'm really stupid for doing this…" May began.

"I already think you are," Drew cut in.

May felt her bottom lip quiver.

"I-I…" she began, but she collapsed onto her knees. Tears poured from her eyes.

Drew didn't bother to comfort her. He quickly bent down behind her, inspecting the cut on her back.

"May, I need to know how you did this," he said urgently.

"The S-Skarmory g-got out of control, and s-slashed me," May sniffed, in between sobs. Drew gently touched the slash. May quivered her body.

"We need to get you checked out, May," he said, helping May up from the ground.

"N-no!" protested May desperately, whipping away her tears. "I'm fine!"

Drew looked at her seriously. "May, if you catch an infection, you could get really sick."

May gulped. She didn't want to get ill…

"Fine then. Gyarados, I choose you!"

The large sea serpent appeared in the river, splashing happily.

"Gyah Gyahh!" (Freeeeedooooom!)

"Gyarados," said Drew, helping May up on Gyarados' back. "Take us to Goldenrod."

"Gyah." (Well, it was good while it lasted.)

What the twosome didn't know was, that clasped to Gyarados' tail was an adventurous little Shuckle.

"Shuck Shuckle!" (Whee!)

"Staravia, use Aerial Ace!"

A jet black Staravia swiftly attacked a magnificent Kirlia.

"Kirlia, use Psychic!"

The Kirlia's eyes gleamed, and Staravia was soon crashing to the ground.

"No! Staravia!"

Ash ran at his KO'd Pokemon.

"Starr…" said the Staravia softly. Ash smiled at it.

"You did great, Staravia! Now, get some rest."

Staravia disappeared into its pokeball with a red flash. Ash sighed, and looked up at his rival.

"You beat me again, Max!" he laughed. Max grinned.

"I'm getting good, huh?" he said happily. Ash nodded.

"You should consider catching another pokemon other than your Kirlia!"

Max picked up his little Pokemon.

"I think I should… Kirlia's getting kinda lonely!"

"Kirlia Kirl!"

Dawn laughed from the sidelines of the field they were battling in.

"Max, I think Kirlia would really like some new friends!" she giggled. Pikachu walked at Kirlia.

"Pika Pika!" it greeted.

Kirlia rose Pikachu to the sky with her psychic abilities. This was her favourite way of greeting.

"Pikaa!"

Pikachu wasn't really that good with heights.

"Swi?"

Pikachu was dropped on the ground with a heavy thud as Kirlia turned away to look for the source of the noise.

"Swinub Swi!"

A furry little guinea pig-like Pokemon was watching them from the bushes. Max and Ash simultaneously flipped open their PokeDexes.

"Swinub. The swine Pokemon. This Pokemon has an extra-sensitive nose used for foraging, and finding hot springs."

Max grinned. "I gotta catch this Swinub!"

The Swinub was very alarmed to hear this.

"Swinub!"

It attempted scuttled off, but it was too late.

"Kirlia, use Quick Attack!"

Swinub was knocked to the ground. Kirlia jumped on top of it, pinning it to the ground.

"Kirlia, use Hyperbeam!"

"Kiiii…rllll… IAAA!"

The Hyper Beam was shot straight into poor Swinub's face.

"Pokeball, go!"

Max threw a red and white ball at the conked out Swinub. The Swinub disappeared into the ball.

"C'mon…" muttered Max, willing for his pokeball to safely capture Swinub.

Click.

"Awesome!"

Max scooped the ball into his hand.

"I caught a Swinub!"

"Great job!" grinned Ash, clapping. Dawn rushed towards Max.

"Congratulations!" she said, and she gave Max a quick peck on the cheek.

Max dropped the pokeball in surprise. He felt his face flush. Dawn's face was as equally red.

"S-sorry…"she mumbled. Ash couldn't take it anymore.

"Oh, just kiss her!" he yelled. Max almost died of embarrassment.

"Ash!" he hissed. "Be quiet!"

Ash sweatdropped. "Eheh… whoops."

"Okay! All done!"

May sprang off the hospital bed, and smiled gratefully at the nurse who'd bandaged her wound.

"Thank you, Nurse Ray!" she gushed. Nurse Ray chortled.

"No problem! Now, remember to change the bandage every two days, okay?"

May nodded. "Of course! Thank you again!"

She left the small cubicle, and found Drew slumped on a chair outside, in the waiting room.

"Took your time, didn't you?" he said, annoyed. May blinked.

"Drew, it was only twenty minutes!" she protested.

Drew pointed at a pile of year-old magazines, which he had cast to the side.

"Reading those," he said, shrugging, "it feels like a century has passed."

May laughed as they both left the building. She thrust her fist in the air.

"Goldenrod Contest, here we come!"


	14. Chapter 14 : Gone Too Far

* * *

Ah, finally! I've been thinking about this fanfic, and I've finally gotten the perfect idea. Sorry for taking a few years to post this chapter, but it's worth it. It's short, but worth it. The next chappie will be extra-long to make up for the last few. Enjoy!

DISCLAIMER: Me. No. Own. Pokemon. Ok? Goodbye.

* * *

The magnificent hall of Goldenrod loomed over the young co-ordinators heads. It's gleaming walls shined, beautiful lights dancing on its ice-like surface. Marvellous wooden doors, painted a shining silver, stood in front of Drew and May. The sight took their breaths away.

"It's so... beautiful," breathed May, her eyes glittering as she stared at the amazing building.

"Yeah," agreed Drew, not quite as amazed as May. He was just eager to get into the hall, and sign up for the contest. He grabbed May's arm, and attempted to lead her through the silver doors.

"Come on, May!" he urged. "We haven't got much time to register!"

But May was still gazing at the beautiful structure. She barely seemed to be listening.

"May!" sighed Drew. "Come _on_!"

He started to push her towards the tall double doors. May suddenly winced in pain, biting her lip with her teeth. Drew quickly withdrew his arms. May's eyes were glistening with tears. Drew remembered.

"Your back!" he realized. May shook her head, and forced a smile onto her pale face.

"I'm fine, Drew!" she said, her lame smile so different from the pain Drew could see in her eyes. "Come on, we'd better go in."

She strode through the doors, almost normally, except for the stiff posture her back was in. Drew hesitated for a moment, and then hurried after her.

The inside of the hall was even more spectacular.

"What the-?" said Drew, pausing beside May to gaze at their surroundings. The polished floor reflected their own amazed faces, the walls covered in plaques and frames. In the centre of the hall, there was a spectacular fountain, made of pure white marble. Three structures were sitting in the fountain: a long, elegant Milotic and a pretty, feminine Lopunny. But the third statue was just so different from the rest that even Drew couldn't help dropping his jaws.

There, right between the two beautiful figures of the Mioltic and Lopunny, was a Muk.

May's gob-smacked face soon turned into a confused one.

"Why would there be a Muk here?" she asked Drew quizzically. Drew shrugged.

"Beats me," he replied.

"Ze Muk is one of ze most, ah, _tres fantastique _Pokemon in ze world, oui?" said a quiet voice from behind them, with an obvious delicate French accent.

Drew turned around quickly to see the owner of the delicate voice.

A young girl, perhaps one or two years older than Drew, was staring back at him. Long wavy silver-blue hair cascaded down her back. Her dark, intense eyes were framed with thick black eyelashes, which kept fluttering at Drew. Drew couldn't help but stare at the immense beauty of the girl standing in front of him.

"You are entering ze contest, oui?" she said in her lisp-like voice. Drew nodded slowly, as if in a trance.

"A-are you?" he said, barely concentrating enough to make normal conversation. The girl smiled.

"Ah, non. I am ze daughter of ze owner of this hall," she said, sweeping her locks of hair as she spoke. "My name is Annabelle. And you are..?"

Drew came falling back into reality.

"Oh, I'm-," he said, but was quickly interrupted by a rather irritated May.

"Come on, Drew!" she said, dragging him off in the same manner Misty and Max did when Brock became attracted to a girl.

"_Au revoir, monsieur!_" called Annabelle, waving her slim fingers at Drew as he was led away by an annoyed May.

When Drew was let go, he didn't say anything to May. He wasn't angry with her, but perhaps a bit irritated. But, if anything, he was embarrassed. He'd been distracted by a girl's beauty, and it wasn't something a Master co-ordinator should do.

"Back to planet Earth?" said May, half-jokingly. Drew turned away from her, and stalked over to the front desk.

A middle-aged woman in a dark red uniform greeted him.

"Hello! Welcome to Goldenrod Contest Hall," she said warmly, her long dark curls swishing around her round face. "How may I help?"

Drew held out his Contest Pass.

"I'd like to enter, please," he said, flicking his hair with his fingers. The assistant furrowed her brows.

"Have you talked with Madame Marie?" she asked, pushing the Pass back towards Drew.

"No," he said slowly. "I didn't know you had to."

May, who had approached the desk as well, asked, "Who is Madame Marie?"

The assistant rose her eyebrows.

"You don't know who Madame Marie is?" she said, rather shocked. Both Drew and May shook their heads.

The assistant's jaw almost dropped off her face.

"Madame Marie is one of the most talented co-ordinators in existent!" she exclaimed. May's eyes glittered.

"Wow! I'd love to meet her!" she said, clutching her hands together. Drew sneered.

"So if she's that good," he said, "then why haven't I heard of her before?"

"You're from the Hoenn region, right?" said the assistant. "Well, Madame Marie has only been to the Kanto and Johto region."

"So, why do we have to meet her, then, to enter the contest?" continued Drew. The assistant sighed.

"Madame Marie's contests are different from other contests," she began, twirling her hair with her fingers. "To enter the contest, you have to prove yourselves worthy."

May blinked. "Huh?"

Drew ignored May's blank reply.

"So, we have to audition to enter her contest?" he said, rather irritated. The assistant nodded.

"Yes, that's right," she said, beaming. "I'll send you through to her office."

A few minutes later, the young co-ordinators were being lead through an eerie-white corridor. The assistant was oddly quiet.

"I must warn you, Madame Marie's English is not very good," she said. "She may act rather rude, but don't take it too personally."

May nodded, smiling up at the assistant.

"Don't worry, we won't," she said sweetly. The assistant knocked on a door at the end of the hallway.

"Enter," said a low, husky voice from the other side. The co-ordinators entered.

A woman of thirty-six years old sat in front of them, behind an elegant desk. She wore a dark, purple suit. Her intense eyes stared at Drew and May. Drew realized that she must be Annabelle's mother, and Madame Marie.

"You, Greenie. Show me," she said sharply, jerking her head towards Drew.

Drew glared at her, before throwing a pokeball high in the air.

"Roselia, go!"

The beautiful Rose Pokemon elegantly landed on the ground, in a deep curtsy. Petals flew from her roses.

"Nice," approved Madame Marie. "More."

Drew felt hatred for the woman. He thought his Roselia deserved more praise.

"Roselia, use Petal Swift combination!" he called. He'd just recently taught Roselia a new combination, but hadn't practiced it much.

Again, Roselia released petals from her roses, but tiny stars were also being released. The stars and petals mixed together, creating tiny glittery petals.

Madame Marie nodded. "Good. Girlie now."

Drew glared again at Madame Marie. He was getting very irritated with her now. He knew his Roselia deserved excellent praise, but she barely looked at it.

"Roselia, great job," he said, returning Roselia to its pokeball.

May walked up to the desk.

"Show. Now," grunted Madame Marie. May bit her lip. She wasn't sure which pokemon she should use. After all, she didn't know that there'd be an audition.

'I'll give her a performance she'll never forget!' she said to herself.

"Eevee, take the stage!" said May confidently, twirling around as she threw the pokeball.

"Eve!"

Eevee landed gracefully on May's head, before powering up two Shadow Balls.

Once they were released from Eevee, the Shadow Balls clashed together, and created an eerie mist.

"Continue," said Madame Marie. She seemed to be rather interested in May's Eevee.

"Eevee, use Shadow Ball again, and then Slash!"

Eevee obeyed. It released another Shadow Ball, and slashed it with its claws. The ball turned into thousands of shimmering black stars.

"Good," said Madame Marie. She stood up from her desk. "You both very good."

Drew smirked to himself. May clapped happily.

"Greenie, through left door. Girlie, through right door."

"Huh?"

May stopped clapping.

"What do you mean?" she asked, blinking. Madame Marie sighed.

"Girl and boy not in same contest. Two separate contests. Two different ribbons. Boy left. Girl right."

Drew shoved his hands in his pockets, and stalked through the left door.

May gave Drew one last look, before leaving through the right door.

"May! How great to see you!"

* * *

A girl rushed towards May, and briefly hugged her.

"Soledad!" gasped May. "I didn't know you'd be here!"

Soledad smiled, her eyes shining. "I heard you and Drew would be here, and I just had to see you again."

May smiled back at her.

"So, how are you and Drew after… you know," said Soledad, rather awkwardly.

May knew she was talking about the fire that had took a Typhlosion's life.

"Ok, I guess," she said sadly. Memories of Jay's tear-filled eyes were in her mind. She felt her eyes glistening.

Soledad saw this, and quickly changed the subject.

"I can't believe that boys and girls aren't allowed to compete together," she said furiously. "It isn't right!"

May snarled in agreement.

"That Madame Marie was so… so…"

"Unfair?" suggested Soledad.

"If you are talking about my mama, I'd prefer you to stop," said an angry voice from behind them.

Soledad and May quickly turned around to see Annabelle. She had a disgusted look on her face, and stared at Soledad and May as if they were vermin.

"No, no! We don't mean it like that!" said May hastily, waving her arms. Annabelle sneered.

"Then what did you mean?" she said, raising her eyebrows. May let her arms fall limply to her sides.

"Err… I… umm," she said lamely. Soledad quickly joined in.

"We just don't find it right that we aren't allowed to compete with the boys," she said firmly. Annabelle laughed in a horrible manner.

"Mama doesn't approve of boys and girls competing together," she said simply.

"Females and males are both as talented as each other!" said Soledad, through clenched teeth. Annabelle snorted.

"What happened to your French accent, anyway?" inquired May. Annabelle still had a slight French accent, but her pronouncing of words were perfect. Annabelle giggled.

"I was trying to impress your green-haired friend," she said, batting her long eyelashes. May felt a sudden feeling of hatred towards the girl.

"You have a crush on Drew?" said Soledad, rather blankly.

"Drew, is it?" said Madame Marie's daughter, sighing dreamily. "He's such a handsome man… Don't you think?"

Soledad raised her eyebrows.

"He's more like a little brother to me," she said. May remained silent.

"You, girlie. Who will you ask to the Great Ball?" said Annabelle to May, rather aggressively.

May blinked. "Great what?"

Annabelle sighed, and flipped her long silvery hair over her shoulder.

"Mama's contest lasts three days," she said slowly, as if talking to an infant. "On the first day, we have the first round. On the second day, we have the second round. Then, at the end of that day, the few that have gone through to the third round will be invited to a Great Ball. Girl with boy."

May's jaw-dropped. A dance? She wasn't used to formal parties!

"Who says that we'll even go through to the third round?" said Soledad. Annabelle laughed.

"I saw your audition, red-head," she said, emphasizing on the last word. "You and your Arcanine look pretty good together."

May gasped. "You have a Arcanine, Soledad?"

Soledad nodded proudly. "I caught it on the way to the Johto region."

"And you," said Annabelle, turning to face May. "I heard that you and your Eevee did a magnificent performance for Mama."

May blushed. "I don't know about magnificent…"

"Mama was deeply impressed with both of you, and the green-haired boy," said Annabelle. "She also liked this girl with a Ponyta, a boy with a Drifloon, and another boy. I believe he also had an Arcanine."

Soledad raised her eyebrows. "Another person has an Arcanine?"

Annabelle nodded.

"I wish I could battle that guy," said Soledad, sighing sadly. Annabelle grinned.

"Ah, maybe you will," she said, winking.

"What do you mean?" said May. "Boys and girls aren't allowed to compete with each other."

Annabelle laughed. "Oh, did I forget to tell you? Three girls and three boys go through to the last round. And that's when you win the ribbons."

"But, usually there's only one ribbon in a contest," said May. "If we all join up in the last round, what's the point of two ribbons?"

"One ribbon goes to the winner," said Annabelle. "The other goes to the person that did the most amazing combinations."

"Is it possible to win both?" said May eagerly. Annabelle shrugged.

"Beats me," she admitted. She looked up at the clock. "The contest starts in an hour. You better get ready."

And with that, she flounced off into the distance. May was left feeling confused.

Soledad muttered something about training, and also disappeared. May felt as alone as ever.

"What if Drew wins? What if he gets all of the three ribbons you need to go to the Grand Festival, and leaves me?" she asked herself. She shuffled her feet sadly.

* * *

"Drifloon, you know how important this contest is to me."

A boy with skin so white that he looked identical to a ghost was stroking his Drifloon's head. His dark waistcoat was covered in scorch marks, and his once-white t-shirt now faded to a dirty grey. His thin wrists and bony legs gave the impression that he hadn't had a decent meal for days.

"Drif," said Drifloon, worriedly looking into the boy's sunken face. "Drifloon!"

The boy glared at the Drifloon.

"It don't care about the way I look," he spat. "I just want you to win this contest for me!"

Drifloon gazed into the boy's dark eyes. The eyes quivered slightly. The boy quickly looked away from his pokemon's stare.

"You have to do it," he said quietly, his voice cracking. "For Typhlosion."

Drifloon nodded determinedly.

"Drifloon!" (For Typhlosion!)

The boy smiled weakly at his Drifloon.

"Thanks, Drif," he said, using his old pet name for Drifloon.

Drifloon perked up. It hadn't heard its Master use its pet name since the accident with Typhlosion.

"Hey, Jay," said a male's voice from behind them. Jay quickly turned to see a boy with green floppy hair, and sharp emerald eyes.

"Oh, it's you," he said, not unfriendly. "Drew, yeah?"

Drew flicked his hair, and smirked. "I see you remembered my name."

Jay slightly raised an edge of his lip into a lazy smile. Drew jerked his head at the Drifloon that was standing behind Jay's thin legs.

"You're entering the contest with a Drifloon, huh," he said. Jay nodded.

"Me and Drifloon will win," he said firmly. Drew smirked again.

"We'll see about that," he said. Jay immediately rose his eyebrows.

"What, you don't think I have a chance?" he said angrily to Drew. Drew shrugged.

"I never said that," he said, a slight sneer in his voice. Jay glared at Drew, his shadowy eyes piercing into Drew's.

"You and your girly little Roselia will never beat my Drifloon," he said, pointing at Drew's Roselia that was standing beside him.

"How mature," said Drew, flicking his hair once more. "Aren't you the same guy that couldn't control his Typhlosion?"

"DON'T TALK ABOUT TYPHLOSION LIKE THAT!" shrieked Jay, his eyes wild with fury. Drew immediately realized he'd gone too far.

"Sorry, I didn't mean that," he said quickly. Jay clenched his fists.

"I'm never going to see Typhlosion again," he said, his whole body quaking as he stared down at the floor. "My very first pokemon, my first friend. My first memories. Gone. Forever."

Drew nodded. "I know how it feels."

Jay suddenly raised his head, staring straight at Drew.

"How do you know what I'm feeling now?" he shouted, tears streaming from his eyes. Everyone in the room fell quiet, watching the spectacle that was going on in the centre of the room.

"You will never know the feeling of losing something you loved!" he shrieked. Drew finally lost it.

"And how do you know that?" he shouted. Roselia jumped in shock. Her Master had never shouted like that at someone.

Jay also looked surprised.

"You think that I'm some heartless co-ordinator that does nothing but perform with my pokemon," said Drew angrily. "But only one person got me interested in contests, and he's dead! I had to see him die! I've seen death!"

Jay gulped. He hadn't expected for Drew to get so emotional.

Drew took a few deep breaths.

"You may think that you're the only one that's going through such pain, but that's where you're wrong," he snarled, before pushing through the crowd and into the men's room, with his beloved Roselia hurrying after him.

* * *

Ho hum, pig's bum. Sorry for the sudden ending, but I thought that this would be an excellent cliff-hanger. I'll be posting the next chap-chap around the weekend. Toodle-pip!

* * *


	15. Chapter 15 : Soledad's Secret

* * *

Taa-daaaa! Here it is! The damn chapter! Told ya' I'd do it ;

Disclaimer: Dude, I don't own Pokie. Or apple juice. Suuuucks.

Right-right. Very VERY dramatic chapter here! You're gonna discover some of Drew's past, and most likely faint at some parts. Heh.

I made sure that this chapter was extra long, like I promised D Enjoy!

* * *

"_Hey Drew, wanna help me train Vulpix and Milotic?"_

"_Would I ever!" replied Drew eagerly. He hopped off the kitchen chair, and hurried towards his brother. Dorian laughed at his younger brother's eagerness._

"_Finish your breakfast first, Dorian," said their mother, who was carefully polishing one of Dorian's precious trophies. Dorian rolled his eyes._

"_Fine, then," he sighed. He sat down to eat his meal, while Drew rushed upstairs to change out of his pyjamas._

"_Dorian, dear, I don't want you showing Drew your new Rampardos," said Dorian's mother firmly. Dorian continued to chew his toast._

"_That Rampardos isn't a very tame pokemon," continued his mother. "It could quite easily hurt you and Drew."_

_Dorian laughed. "Don't worry, Mom. Rampardos is safely in its pokeball."_

_Dorian's mother still looked worried. "Well, alright then. But don't let it out of the pokeball even if Drew begs you to."_

_Dorian laughed again. "A seven year old against a seventeen year old? Think again, Mom!"_

_Drew rushed back into the kitchen, just as Dorian was finishing his toast. He was wearing his violet t-shirt and black denim shorts, and his favourite Pokeball badge pinned on his chest.._

"_Come on, Dori!" he said, dragging at his brother's arms. Dorian got up, and left through the kitchen door with his younger brother._

"_Remember!" said their mother warningly. "You know what!"_

_Dorian winked at her just before Drew dragged him out of sight._

_Dorian released Milotic out of its pokeball. Milotic happily splashed in the garden pond. Drew laughed._

"_Can I train Milotic for a while? Pleeeaaase?" he begged. Dorian flicked his dark green hair out of his dark eyes, and smiled._

"_Sure," he said, handing Drew some Pokeblocks. Drew grinned._

"_Thanks, Dori!" said Drew in glee. Suddenly, his eyes narrowed._

_Dorian followed Drew's gaze, and saw he was staring towards his belt._

"_Dori, what's in that Pokeball?" asked Drew, pointing at Dorian's latest addition to the belt. Dorian quickly pulled his jacket over it._

"_Oh, just an empty Pokeball," he said hastily. Drew's eyes continued to stare._

"_But you keep your spare Pokeballs in your backpack," he said. He jumped at Dorian. "Lemme see!"_

_Dorian pushed Drew away._

"_No! It's… a secret!"_

_Drew scowled. He didn't like secrets. Dorian quickly changed the subject._

"_Hey, Drew, do you have a Pokemon yet?" he asked. Drew's expression saddened._

"_Mom says I have to wait 'till I'm ten," he said gloomily. Dorian grinned down at his younger brother._

"_Ah, that's if you want to be a trainer. If you want one to be your friend, you could have one right now!"_

_Drew's eyes widened._

"_Wow, really?" he said in amazement. "I want a Rayquazza!"_

"_Err, that's a legendary Pokemon, Drew," sweatdropped Dorian. "I saw a nest of Budew the other day. Let's go check them out!"_

_Drew grinned eagerly. "Yes!"_

_Dorian led his young brother over the garden fence, past the neighbourhood, and into the outskirts of the woods._

"_Somewhere around here…" he muttered, shifting around in some bushed. "Aha!"_

_Drew galloped to his brother._

"_Where, where?"_

"_Shh!" said Dorian. "They're sleeping."_

_Half a dozen of Budew were snoring peacefully under the rosebush. Suddenly, Drew heard a rustle behind them._

_A weary Roselia was watching them from behind. She was glaring at the two brothers._

"_Ros! Rosel!" she snarled. Dorian stepped in front of Drew. He knew Roselia had a reputation of injecting poison._

"_Drew, get out of here," muttered Dorian. "Roselia can poison you."_

_Drew got up from the grass, and nodded. Suddenly, there was a horrible screech._

"_Fearow!"_

_Both Dorian and Drew spun around. A Fearow was gliding away, with a terrified Budew in its beak._

"_Rosel!" screeched the Roselia. It must've been the Budew's mother._

_Drew didn't bother to think. He scampered up a tree, scraping his knees. He saw the Fearow, skimming the leaves, still with the Budew clutched in its beak._

"_Hey!" he shouted, throwing some of the berries that grew on the tree at the Fearow. "Give Budew back!"_

_Fearow howled in pain as a spicy berry splattered into its eye, dropping the Budew to do so._

"_ROSELIA!" screeched the mother. Drew reacted immediately. He ran across the treetops, and captured the terrified Budew in his arms._

"_Bud Bud!" cried the infant Budew. Drew cradled it in his arms._

"_It's ok, Budew," he soothed. "You're safe now."_

_He slowly climbed down the trees, and saw Dorian running towards him, with Roselia behind him._

"_Drew! For God's sake, don't do that ever again!" he said angrily. "You could've fallen off those trees!"_

"_But I saved Budew," said Drew happily. Roselia stared at Budew. The infant had fallen asleep in Drew's arms._

"_Ros… Roselia," she said softly. Dorian nodded and smiled._

"_She wants you to look after Budew for her," he said. Drew's eyes lit up._

"_Budew's… mine?" he said in disbelief. He couldn't believe it._

_Roselia gave Budew one last look, and faded away into the shadows. Drew grinned at Dorian._

"_I've gotten my first Pokemon!" he said in glee. Dorian smiled back down at him._

Drew hit the bathroom sink with his fist. The memory was getting too painful. He looked at himself in the mirror. The whites of his eyes had turned red, but his eyes had darkened. Like Dorian's.

He shook his head, and ran his fingers through his hair. He'd never be like Dorian. Dorian was gone.

Suddenly, the bathroom door opened behind him. A pale face appeared beside Drew.

"Hey," he said softly. Drew refused to look into Jay's eyes.

He ignored Jay. He walked past him, and exited the bathroom.

Everyone in the room stared at Drew. Drew sighed angrily. They'd all seen him losing it.

"Will Gary Oak please report to the stage," said an intercom suddenly. A boy around Drew's age, perhaps two or three years older, stood up. He had auburn hair, and a pendant around his neck. He smirked at everyone, before disappearing.

The contest had started.

May bit her nails. Soledad had already been on the stage, and only three were left: her, a girl with bright pink hair, and a girl that had been in the bathroom the minute she got in.

May thought that she should look for the girl, in case she was up next. She cautiously opened the bathroom door.

"Hello?" she asked, peering around. A girl with dark hair and blonde high-lights was leaning over the sink. May gasped.

"Ally?!"

The girl turned around, equally surprised. Her face was pale.

"May! I didn't know you were here!" she said. May rushed at her.

"Ally, you look sick!" she said worriedly. Ally smiled weakly.

"Oh, just me and my nerves," she said lightly.

"Come on, one of us are bound to be up next!" said May, tugging Ally's arm. They both went back to the main room. The pink-haired girl was gone.

"Us next," gulped May. Ally shook her head.

"I can't do this!" she said. "I feel sick!"

May couldn't help but throw her pokeball at Ally.

"Stop panicking!" she said, after the pokeball bounced off Ally's head. "Concentrate!"

"Will May Maple please report to the stage."

May squealed. It was finally her turn to be on the stage!

"Come on, Tentasha! We'll show 'em what we've got!"

Drew was silent. He could feel Jay's eyes staring right at him, as he impatiently waited for his turn.

Roselia sat in his lap, watching him worriedly. She remembered how he had saved her from the gruesome fate of being eaten alive by the Fearow. She burrowed her head into his chest.

Drew smiled softly at his friend. His arms were tight around her, the way he cradled her the day he got her. Suddenly, the moment was disturbed by Jay.

"It's your turn."

Drew stood up quickly, dropping Roselia onto the floor. He hadn't noticed the intercom!

But he didn't want to show Jay how flustered he felt.

"Thanks," he smirked, flicking his hair out of his eyes. They had returned to their usual shade of emerald.

He returned Roselia to her Pokeball, and left the side-room. He found himself on the edge of the stage, hidden by some scarlet curtains.

"And here's ze second to last contestant, Drew!" said a delicate voice. Drew recognized the voice. It was Annabelle.

The audience cheered and clapped. As Drew stepped onto the stage, he heard girls screeching his name.

"Drew!"

"WE LOVE YOU!"

"You're so HOT!"

Drew flicked his hair once again. The girls squealed in delight.

"Roselia! It's your turn!"

Roselia emerged from the Pokeball with a dazzling white glow. She twirled in the air as she glided down, scattering petals around herself.

"Beautiful!" commented Contesta, who was serving as one of the judges. With a quick glance, Drew noticed that the judges panel was a bit different. Madame Marie had replaced Nurse Joy.

"Remarkable!" said Mr Sukizo in glee. Marie looked vaguely impressed.

"Roselia, Petal Dance!" commanded Drew. Roselia started her twirling again, with the petals once again scattering around.

"Now use Sunny Day!"

Roselia's whole body glowed, and so did the petals.

"Now jump!''

Roselia sprang into the air, still whirling around.

"Stop spinning!"

She obeyed Drew's command. She halted in mid-air, with the petals gently fluttering around her. She dropped delicately to the ground.

"Remarkable!" quoted Mr Sukizo. Contesta nodded.

"Such a performance!"

Marie seemed to completely ignore Drew and Roselia. Instead, she was busy tending to her nails.

Annabelle, who was serving as the MC, grinned at Drew.

"Fantastique performance, monsieur Drew!" she said sweetly.

Drew bowed, and returned Roselia to her Pokeball. His fanclub screamed after him as he left the stage.

He was led through another door, not the one he came in through.

Eventually, he found himself in a room full of other co-ordinators. The ones that had already performed. He was glad to see that the girls were there as well. He scanned the room for May.

May was sitting in the corner with Soledad and Ally. Drew ventured over to them.

"Hey Ally, Soledad," he nodded. "Didn't know you'd be here."

Soledad and Ally both smiled at Drew.

"Great to see you again, Drew!" said Ally. "Spoink misses you and May!"

Drew had almost forgotten about Ally's hyperactive Spoink.

"Still hasn't evolved?" he asked. Ally grinned.

"Nope!" she said cheerfully. "Just how I like it!"

Soledad laughed.

"Arcanine and I were great in the contest," she said. "How about you, Drew?"

Drew shrugged. "Okay, I guess."

He finally turned to May.

"Hey," he greeted. "How was Eevee?"

May beamed up at Drew. "Eevee was fantastic! I didn't know it could move so quickly!"

Drew sat down beside May.

"How's your back?" he said quietly, in case Soledad and Ally over-heard. May smiled.

"I'm fine, Drew," she said. Drew was still suspicious, but decided to change the subject.

"So, what happens now?" he asked. Soledad shrugged.

"Apparently this contest lasts three days," she said. "On the first day, we have the first round, and on the second day, we have the second round. Annabelle told us that there's gonna be some fancy ball after the second one."

Drew raised his eyebrows.

"A ball?" he asked. Ally, who was sitting beside him, nodded.

"Yeah! I hope we get through!" she gushed. "I've never been to a ball before!"

Drew shook his head.

"Me neither," he admitted. May laughed.

"I've been to plenty!" she said cheerfully. "When your dad is a Gym Leader, you're almost forced to go!"

Soledad flicked a strand of hair from her face.

"I've been to the occasional ball as well," she mused. Soon, all three of the girls were chatting about dresses and such.

Drew sighed, and wandered off to find some male company. He saw the boy with auburn hair talking to Jay.

He stalked towards them.

"Hey," he said. The auburn-haired kid nodded towards him.

"Saw your performance," he said. He smirked. "Not half bad, Greenie."

"What's your name?" asked Drew out of interest. The auburn-haired boy straightened his black shirt.

"Gary," he replied. "Gary Oak."

Drew raised an eyebrow.

"You're related to Samuel Oak?"

"His grandson," said Gary, his auburn hair bouncing.

"So, you're from Pallet Town, right?" asked Drew. "D'you know Ash?"

Gary seemed surprised.

"Yeah, I do, actually," he said. "How do you know him?"

Drew mused for a while.

"I know him through a friend," he said eventually. "So, what did you use in your performance?"

Gary patted his backpack.

"My trusty little Arcanine," he winked. "You used a Roselia, didn't you?"

Drew smiled.

"Yeah. My first Pokemon."

Gary looked interested.

"How did you get it?"

Drew fell silent for a while. Gary saw that his eyes had darkened, and that his fists were clenched.

"My brother," he said slowly, closing his eyes. "He helped me."

Gary didn't reply. He was slightly freaked out by the fact that Drew's eyes had changed to a darker shade of green.

Jay, who had remained silent throughout the whole conversation, suddenly decided to speak up.

"Your brother?" he asked. "Is he the one who died?"

Drew opened his eyes, and glared at Jay.

"Shut up."

Jay smirked.

"Oh, I'm not planning on," he said, smiling horribly. "You offended Typhlosion. So why should I shut up?"

"You would if you knew what's best for you," hissed Drew, widening his eyes. Jay's heart missed a beat. Drew's eyes were almost completely black.

He slowly backed away, and realized that he'd again gone too far.

Drew slammed Jay against the wall.

"Never talk about my brother again," he snarled, pinning Jay hard.

The whole room had fallen silent. Jay was gasping and spluttering for air, as Drew's arm pressed harder against his throat.

Suddenly, Drew was pulled away by Gary.

"What are you doing?!" he hissed. "You could get disqualified for that!"

Drew pushed past Gary. He walked past the watching crowd, and sat back down with May.

May acted as if nothing had happened.

After an hour or so, the contestants were called one-by-one to a side-room. None of them returned, so there was no way in knowing who'd gone through to the next round.

Gary, Soledad and Ally had already been called out. Only May, Drew, Jay and a handful of other co-ordinators remained.

"Drew, what happened with you and Jay?" asked May softly, to avoid anyone hearing her.

"Nothing," said Drew quietly, avoiding her eyes.

"Will May Maple please report to the side-room."

May gulped. She was about to find out if she had gone through or not.

"D'you think I'll get through?" she asked Drew. Drew smirked.

"You'd be lucky," he sneered, back to his usual self. May laughed.

"Thanks for the kindness," she said jokily, before disappearing through the door.

The side-room was small, dark and stuffy. Not a good place for a claustrophobic. There was only one desk, and two chairs. One chair had already been occupied by Madame Marie.

"Sit, girl," she commanded. May nervously sat down in the chair oppostite to Madame Marie.

"You did good performance," said Madame Marie, not bothering to look up from her paperwork. "You through."

May grinned. She was through!

"Thank you, Madame Marie!" she said in joy. Madame Marie glanced at her, and gave her a brief smile.

"Go through left door. Other contestants there."

May practically skipped through the door. On the other side, she was greeted by Ally and Soledad.

"May! I'm so glad you got through!" squealed Ally.

May noticed that they were in yet another small room.

"Once all the contestants have been sorted, we'll be led to our rooms," explained Soledad. "Miraculously, boys and girls are allowed to share!"

Finally! May and Drew would be able to have a proper talk without anyone listening.

The door behind them opened. May spun around to see who it was, but lost her balance. She found herself in Jay's arms.

"Oh! Sorry!" she said, her face in a deep shade of red. Jay's pale face remained white.

"S'okay," he said. He peered around the room.

"Still quite a lot left," he said, referring to the contestants.

May suddenly noticed she was still in his arms. She quickly scuttled back at Soledad and Ally.

"Ooh, you're blushing!" squealed Ally, her high-lighted hair bobbing. "You like him!"

"I do not!" said May haughtily. Ally rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, whatever!" she sighed.

The door opened again. A head of shocking green hair appeared.

"Drew!" said May happily. "You're through!"

Drew smirked.

"Naturally," he said, flicking his hair.

Two other contestants came in after Drew. In total, there were twelve remaining contestants.

Nothing happened for quite some time. To kill time, the foursome decided to let their Pokemon play together.

"Looks like my Spoink likes your Slowking," laughed Ally. Soledad sweatdropped.

"Imagine if they had babies!" she giggled. "Bouncing Slowpokes everywhere, trying to grab every shiny thing they see!"

May suddenly remembered something.

"Masquerain and Beautifly!" she gasped, turning to Drew. "I totally forgot about them!"

"What about them?" asked Ally blankly.

"We've had the unfortunate event of them breeding," said Drew half-jokingly.

"Cute!" said Ally happily. "Baby Surskit and Wurmple… Aww!"

May bit her lip. She hoped Beautifly was alright…

"Hem-hem!"

A delicate cough echoed around the room. Looking up from their Pokemon, the foursome saw Annabelle standing at the front of the room.

"Your rooms are all ready now," she said, smiling in a sickening way. "Follow me, oui!"

They followed her through vast corridors and magnificent halls. Eventually, they were in some sort of hotel.

"This is our mansion," explained Annabelle, plaiting her hair with her fingers. "You may choose your own rooms."

Everyone rushed and hurried into the best rooms, before anyone could take them. Drew and May scuttled into a twin-bedroom.

"Finally!" said May, dropping onto a bed. "Peace and quiet!"

Drew looked around the room. The bed covers were a dark red, and so were the curtains. The carpet was a creamy white, and there were many expensive-looking vases containing roses decorating the room.

"Hey! There's a phone here!" said May, hopping off the bed and to the corner of the room. A phone and screen were on a desk, just like the ones in a PokeCentre.

She sat down on a velvet-cushioned stool, and started dialling a number. Drew got up from his bed and stood behind her.

"Who are you calling?" he asked.

"Mom and Dad," replied May, now staring at the blank screen.

Before Drew could say anything, May's mother appeared on the screen.

"May darling!" she gasped. "And Drew! How are you, kids?"

"We're fine, Mom," laughed May. She explained to her mother about the contest they were in.

"A ball?" said her mother, once May had finished talking. "A proper fancy one?"

May nodded. "Yeah, and I need a dress!!"

"Remember, maybe you won't get through the second round!" warned Caroline. May's head drooped.

"Oh yeah… but if I do get through, could you send me a dress?"

"Ok, honey," said Caroline. "But what about Drew?"

Drew, who had been wandering around the room, spun around when he heard his name.

"Mm?"

"Won't you be needing a tux?" asked Caroline.

"Me? In a tux?!" said Drew, his eyes widening. He barely ever wore a tie, let alone a tux.

"I'm sure I'll manage to find one for you," said Caroline kindly. "Oh, I've just remembered something!"

"What?" asked Drew and May in unison.

"I found three eggs in Beautifly's nest this morning!" grinned Caroline.

"Really? Wow!" gushed May. She sprang up from her stool and dived onto her bed. "We're grandparents, Drew!"

"I'm not Masquerain's father!" he protested, but he felt a happy glow inside of him.

"May, dear, I have to go now," said Caroline, waving. "Bye kids!"

"Bye," said Drew, as the screen turned blank.

May sat up from her bed.

"I'm hungry," she announced, hopping off her bed. "I wonder where we eat?"

Drew rolled his eyes.

"You never stop thinking about your stomach, do you?" he smirked. May shrugged.

"Just 'cause I like food it doesn't mean I think about it all the time," she smiled. She peered closely at Drew. "You're getting a bit skinny, you know."

Drew flicked his hair. "Oh, am I?"

He acted as if he didn't care, but he had noticed how his skin-tight t-shirt wasn't as tight on him anymore.

"I remember Annabelle saying something about our rooms being like mini houses," mused May. "I wonder if there's a kitchen through one of these doors?"

The room had four doors: one that exited the room, one a closet, and one a bathroom. May opened the final one.

"Yaaay! It's a kitchen!" she yelled in glee, running into the kitchen. Drew followed her inside.

The kitchen was fairly small, with a table, three chairs and the kitchen utensils.

May was already searching through the cupboards and the fridge.

"Hey, there's a cookbook here!" she said, holding up a huge dusty book. She flipped it open, and started flicking through the old book.

"Too hard… too complicated… too long… too impossible… aha!"

Drew looked over her shoulder.

"Pasta with creamy tomato sauce," he read. He glanced up at May. "Sure you can manage that?"

May scowled. "Of course I am! Now, where's the spatula?"

"You don't need a spatula for this recipe!!" Drew almost exploded. He sighed.

"Right, you do the pasta, and I'll do the sauce," he said. May nodded, too amazed at Drew's eagerness to cook to protest.

May managed to sort out the pasta without any trouble. She turned to see how Drew was doing.

His head was bent over the bowl of sauce. May snuck up behind him.

Drew smirked to himself. He could hear her breathing as she crept behind him. He quickly turned around, grinning.

May, who had been planning spooking him, got such a shock that she slipped on the slippery tiles. She knocked straight into Drew, and they both collapsed onto the ground. As Drew fell, his arm caught on the bowl full of sauce, and it poured over both of them.

"May…" said Drew quietly. May started giggling. Her laughter was so contagious that Drew was soon laughing as well. Their faces and hair were covered in the scarlet tomato sauce.

Drew picked up the bowl, which was luckily made out of plastic, and helped May up from the ground.

"How many times have we fallen over?" asked May wonderingly. Drew shrugged, laughing.

"Who knows?" he said cheerfully.

May was happy to see Drew in such good spirits, especially after the day he'd had.

This time, she helped Drew with the tomato sauce. Soon, the meal was simmering over the stove.

"I'd say we should leave it for about ten minutes," said Drew, glancing at the clock.

"I really need a shower now!" said May, pointing at her tomato-covered hair. Her bandana was blended into her hair because of the redness.

"Go ahead, I'll wash up later," said Drew, smiling at May. May smiled back, and left the kitchen.

A few moments later, she was back, looking frustrated.

"The shower doesn't work!" she said, peeved off. Drew groaned.

"Oh, great!" he said sarcastically. "I suppose we'll go to Soledad or Ally's room to have one after dinner."

May nodded in agreement.

"How about we feed the Pokemon?" she suggested.

"Might as well," shrugged Drew.

They released the Pokemon from their capsules, except for May's Gyarados.

May set about feeding them all with their different PokeChow. Eventually, they were all eating quietly.

Except for one.

"Hey, where's Chansey?" asked May, looking around. Drew's face went pale.

"Oh God."

Chansey was charging at them, clutching a shower nozzle, which was connected to the kitchen sink.

"Chaaaaaanseeeeeey!!!"

Chansey dive-bombed on top of Drew, and started to wash his hair and face aggressively. May couldn't do anything but stare.

"Chansey Chan Chans!" (Ah, how I miss my nursing days!)

After a while, Chansey hopped off Drew, and gazed at him.

Drew's hair was identical to a Mareep's.

"Why did I ever agree to be your trainer?!" said Drew to Chansey. Chansey was already eyeing May.

"Oh no you don't!" said Drew, diving on top of Chansey to stop it from assaulting May.

May quickly dropped a bowl of PokeChow beside Chansey. Soon, Chansey was engrossed in eating, and forgot about 'cleaning' May.

"Thanks, Drew," said May, blushing. Drew smirked.

"I can't believe you had to be saved from an obsessive Chansey," he said, laughing to himself.

"Chanseeey!"

"NO!"

Chansey had finished eating, and had dived on top of May. May screamed in pain as the burning feeling from the slash in her back spread through her body.

Chansey hopped off, blinking blankly.

"Cha?"

Hot tears were in May's eyes as she struggled back to her feet. Drew rushed towards her to help her up.

"Are you ok?!" he asked, leading her to a chair.

"Y-yeah," said May shakily, sitting down. "It just hurt a bit, that's all."

Drew glared at Chansey.

"I'll deal with you later," he spat, before returning the guilty-faced Chansey to its Pokeball.

May shook her head. "Don't be tough on Chansey. It didn't know about the cut!"

Drew was too angry to reply. He got up and went to check on the pasta. It was ready.

He served the meal onto two plates. The Pokemon, who had been eating on the kitchen floor, had now wandered off to play in the bedroom. May laughed when she saw Squirtle getting itself stuck in a pillowcase.

"There's still quite a lot of food left," said Drew, sitting beside May. "How about we invite Soledad and Ally here?"

"That would be great!" grinned May. She was already feeling better, so she got up and walked towards the door.

"I think they're in the room next door," called Drew after her as she left the room.

May wandered down the elegant corridor until she found the next door. She knocked twice on it, and waited for a response.

"Coming!" yelled a distant voice. It was hard to recognize, but May guessed that it was Ally.

The wooden door opened, revealing a grinning Ally behind it.

"Hi May!" she greeted happily. "Settling in ok?"

"Yeah, Drew and I just made some dinner," replied May, smiling back at her friend. "D'you and Soledad wanna come?"

Soledad appeared behind Ally, brushing her locks of deep red hair.

"Dinner? Sure, we'd love to!" said Soledad. "I'm absolutely terrible with cooking!"

Ally laughed. "Me too!"

"I'm totally awful at it as well, bus Drew's really good!" said May. "So, you coming?"

"Yep!"

The three girls went back to the room Drew and May were staying in.

"Drew? Let us in!" called May, tapping on the door. There wasn't a response.

"Drew? Hey, are you still alive?" called Ally jokingly. After a few moments, the door slowly opened.

"Ros?"

Roselia stood in the doorway, looking up at the three girls.

"Roselia? Where's Drew?" asked Soledad, frowning in confusion.

"Ros," shrugged Roselia, before letting the girls in.

The kitchen door was slightly ajar. The girls peered through it.

Drew was leaning over the table, his face hidden by his emerald hair. His hands were sprawled over the table, and his body was limp.

May's immediate thought was that he was unconscious, but she could hear a faint snuffling sound coming from him, indicating he was asleep.

"Poor guy's exhausted!" said Soledad sadly. The girls let themselves into the kitchen.

May shook Drew's arm gently.

"Drew? Drew, wake up," she said, shaking his arm a bit more aggressively. Drew groaned, and sat up, rubbing his eyes.

"Wh-what happened?" he asked, blinking in the bright light of the kitchen.

"You fell asleep on the table!" said Ally with a slight giggle.

Drew stiffened.

"What?" he said in shock. "I was… asleep?"

"Drew, you've been working way too hard, you're barely eating, and you've had a really bad day," said May gently.

Soledad put a plate of pasta in front of him.

"Here, eat!" she said simply. Drew smiled gratefully at her, and grabbed a fork.

Ally, Soledad and May also got themselves some pasta, and sat around the table. There wasn't a chair left for Ally, so she and May shared a chair between them.

Drew tried to offer his chair to Ally, but Soledad wouldn't hear of it.

"You need rest and food," she said firmly, pushing him back to his seat before giving him another helping of pasta.

"You know, I used to think of you as a friend, Soledad," said Drew as he ate his pasta. "But now I think of you as my mother!"

Ally laughed so much at that comment that she fell of her shared chair.

"Soledad? As a mother?!" she chuckled. "I've only known her for a few hours, but when we got into our room, she threw her shoe at me and stole my chocolate bar! Hardly mother material!"

Drew and May both laughed at the thought of Soledad throwing shoes at people, but Soledad remained silent.

"Soledad? Hey, we were only kidding!" said Ally, worried that she'd hurt her friend's feelings.

"You really don't think I'd make a good mother?" asked Soledad quietly, looking down at her feet.

"Uh, why are you asking?" said Ally blankly. Then it dawned on her.

"Oh God, don't tell me!"

"Yes."

"But how-?"

"I don't know."

May cocked her head.

"Wha?"

Soledad sighed, and looked up at May.

"I'm pregnant."

* * *

Dun-dun-DUUUN! I know what's going through your mind!

Who's the father?!

What happened to Dorian?!

Why is Drew so exhausted?!

Why am I asking you these questions?!

Dramatic, eh? Well, I promise you, if you like drama, there's a hell more where that came from! I've already started on the next chappie, so it'll (hopefully) be up soon! But don't get your hopes up 8D

* * *


	16. Chapter 16 : Questions

_

* * *

_Taa-daaaa! You've all been waiting for it! THE SIXTEENTH CHAPTER! Yaaaay! Right then, this chapter is a bit deppressing at the start. Enjoy!_

* * *

_

_The two brothers were walking back towards their home, with Drew's newly caught Budew hopping beside them._

_Drew felt immense respect for his older brother. Dorian was a Pokemon Contest champion, with many ribbons and cups to prove it. He was also very handsome, which was why he already had a fanclub while he was only seventeen years old. Dorian's dark green hair was mid-length, covering half of his face. He wasn't tall or muscly, but there was something about him that made girls swoon. He wore a deep purple bandana around his neck._

"_Dori, I wanna be like you when I grow up!" said Drew, smiling up at his brother. Dorian felt so touched that all he could do was smile back. Little did Drew know that he would someday look almost exactly the same as his older brother._

_Drew suddenly grabbed the 'empty' Pokeball on Dorian's belt, his curiosity getting the better of him._

"_Drew, get off!" said Dorian, pushing Drew away. But it was too late._

"_I wanna see what's inside!" said Drew, clutching the ball in his small hands._

_There was a blinding red flash, and an ear-bursting roar._

"_Drew, get away from it!" shouted Dorian. Before the two brothers stood a mighty Rampardos, flailing its tail at the surrounding trees._

_Drew suddenly regretted snatching the Pokeball from Dorian's belt._

"_Dorian, I don't like it!" he whimpered, backing away._

"_Drew, you idiot!" yelled Dorian. "That Rampardos is completely crazy; it was my job to tame it!"_

_The Rampardos suddenly screeched, and faced Drew. Drew froze with fear._

"_Rampaaar!"_

_It charged towards Drew, flailing its tail wildly. Drew couldn't do anything but close his eyes and wait for the impact._

_But it never came._

_Nervously, Drew slowly opened his eyes. Before him was a sight that would haunt him forever._

_Rampardos had run off into the mountains, searching for more prey._

_Dorian's limp body lay on the ground. It took Drew a few moments to notice that Dorian's clothes were stained with dark blood._

_Drew cautiously ventured towards the body._

"_Dori..?" he whispered, kneeling beside Dorian. "Dorian, wake up!"_

_Dorian remained still, except for the dark liquid seeping through his chest._

"_Dori, don't leave me!" whispered Drew, tears falling down his cheeks._

_Dorian's eyes were closed, as if he were sleeping. But Drew knew he was gone._

_Dorian had sacrificed his own life to protect his younger brother. He knew that if Rampardos saw a sacrifice, it would leave Drew alone in respect._

_Budew, who had been hiding in the bushes during the attack, was now clambering onto Drew's lap._

"_Budew…"_

_Even though Budew was young, it could sense Drew's pain._

_It rubbed its face against Drew's chest in comfort while he wept._

Drew couldn't sleep, because of the terrible memories of his brother's death that kept flashing in his mind.

He lay in his bed, staring up to the dark ceiling, wondering if May was still awake.

She was still awake, and also staring up to the ceiling. She was thinking about what had happened only hours before.

"_You're what?!" gasped May, widening her eyes in shock._

"_Oh God," said Drew, unable to think of anything else to say._

"_But how?" said Ally, running her trembling fingers through her hair. Soledad bit her lip._

"_It was back at the Grand Festival in Hoenn…" she muttered, her face pale. Drew had already guessed._

"_It was Harley, wasn't it?" he said softly, looking up into Soledad's dark eyes._

_She nodded slowly. May gasped._

"_Harley?!"_

"_Yes," whispered Soledad, hanging her head as if in shame. "He was being so nice to me, buying me drinks and treating me like a princess. But then it just went horrible... Oh, what should I do?!"_

"_Keep it!" said Ally firmly. "Abortion is like murder!"_

_May nodded in agreement._

"_You'll make a great mother, you just wait!" she smiled_

_Soon, as they got used to the whole idea, Soledad cheered up._

"_The festival was three months ago, right?" said Ally. "Doesn't that mean you're about three months gone?"_

"_I guess," said Soledad, but not sadly. "You know, I'm actually quite excited now!"_

"_Me too," grinned May. "But you're only sixteen! What will your parents think?"_

"_I have no idea," admitted Soledad, sweatdropping. "But I'll sort that out later! And Harley will never find out about this!"_

_They eventually cleared up the table, and got up._

"_See you tomorrow, kay?" said Ally, as she and Soledad went through the door._

"_Okay, bye!" said May, waving after her friends as she shut the door._

It was almost midnight now. May sighed.

Drew, who was in the bed next to her, heard her sigh.

"May? You still awake?"

"Yeah. Still thinking about Soledad."

"Mm, me too."

"I just can't sleep…"

"Me neither. We've both had a pretty tough day."

"Let's try and get some sleep now."

May snuggled into her pillow.

Drew copied her, and soon, he was sleeping peacefully.

But May was still awake, and felt horribly alone in her Queen-size double bed. She slowly slipped out of the bed, and padded across the room to Drew's bed.

Drew looked so serene while he slept, but May couldn't help but notice the fact that Drew was looking thinner.

'I'll make sure he eats properly,' vowed May to herself. She silently got back to her own bed, and was soon fast asleep.

---

"Drew? May? Wake up!"

May groaned as someone flicked on the light. She delved deeper into her bed.

"Hey, Miss Lazy! The contest starts after lunch! Get your butt out of that bed!"

It was Ally, standing next to her bed.

"What's the time?" asked May, yawning as she got herself out of bed.

"Eight," replied Ally. She glanced across to Drew's bed. "I think we should leave him to sleep for a while longer."

May nodded.

"He looks a bit better now he's had some sleep," she said, brushing her hair.

"Uh, May, why is there tomato sauce in your hair?" asked Ally, peering at her. May gasped.

"No! I forgot to wash my hair!" she whined.

"I've heard of greasy hair, but tomato hair?" laughed Ally, sitting down on May's bed.

"Our shower doesn't work," said May, jerking her head towards the bathroom door. "Do you mind if Drew and I use yours instead?"

"Hey, sure! Feel free!" grinned Ally. She hopped of the bed, and skipped towards the door.

"I'm gonna train before breakfast," she announced. "See you later!"

Ally disappeared down the corridor.

May crept along the corridor to Soledad's room.

"Soledad? Hey, do you mind if I use your shower?"

The door opened, revealing a pale-looking Soledad.

"Soledad!" gasped May. "You look awful! Have you been sick?"

"A little," admitted Soledad weakly. "I blame morning sickness!"

Soledad showed May how to work the shower, and then left her.

May was glad that Soledad had gone, because she wanted to examine her back.

She slowly unwrapped her bandage, and used a mirror to see her back.

It didn't look half as awful as May expected it to be. It was still an open wound, but there wasn't any disgusting bits. May sighed in relief as she wrapped the bandage around her body again.

She shower was incredibly painful. The shampoo and soap kept sliding down her back, so her back kept stinging. But eventually she managed to get all the tomato sauce out of her hair.

"May? Have you drowned or something?" called Soledad from the other side of the door. "You've been there for ages!"

"I'm fine!" said May, dressing herself once she got out of the shower.

After saying goodbye to Soledad, May once again padded down the corridor.

She didn't want to wake up Drew, so she quietly crept into the kitchen, and shut the door behind her.

"Right!" she said to herself, grabbing an apron. "I'm gonna make Drew a breakfast he will never forget!"

She got the old cookbook down from the shelf, and started to flick through it once again.

"Toast… too simple… cereal… too bland… blueberry muffins… no…"

Eventually, she settled on pancakes, like Ally did while they were staying at her house. May knew that pancakes were Drew's special weaknesses.

Miraculously, May managed to make the perfect pancakes without burning the whole mansion down (or killing herself).

She proudly stacked the golden pancakes onto a plate (and had a nibble on a few), and then carried it through to the bedroom area.

Drew was still fast asleep, but it was nine o' clock by then. The contest was starting at one o' clock, so Drew needed to get up and train.

"Drew?" May sat down on his bed. She decided to ignore the gentle way of waking someone up, and instead poked him in the leg.

Drew groaned, and poked May back before burrowing back into the covers.

May was unsure if Drew was asleep or not, but she heard his soft snuffling from underneath. He was still asleep.

"Drew, wake up, or I'll throw a pancake at you!" growled May, getting impatient. She'd worked hard on her pancakes, and all Drew could do was groan and sleep?!

Drew muttered something in his sleep, but didn't move.

"Right, you asked for it!"

May picked up one of her pancakes, and tossed it at Drew's face.

"What the-?!"

Drew sprang up from his bed, confused. The pancake peeled off his face.

"May?! What the hell?!"

May was laughing uncontrollably on the floor, kicking her legs.

"Pancake… face… throw… haha!!"

Drew noticed the plate of pancakes on his bed.

"Did you make these for me?" he asked, no longer irritated. May got up from the floor, and nodded.

"I hope you like them," she said, smiling. Drew picked up the fork that May had put on the plate, and ate a bit.

"I guess," he said, swallowing the piece, "that these will do."

May immediately fumed up.

"Will do?! These are perfect!"

Drew flicked his hair, and smirked.

"I've had better. But these aren't half bad, I suppose."

While May silently sulked, Drew finished every bit of the pancake.

"At least you ate it all," sighed May, taking the plate from him. "You should try and do some training now. I'm going down to meet Ally to train with her."

Drew smirked.

"You and Ally? I pity Ally, because she has to train with you!"

"I see you're back to your normal self," laughed May. "Yesterday you were acting really weird!"

Drew got up from his bed, and padded into the bathroom.

"See you later!" called May, as she grabbed her bandana. She tied it onto her chocolate hair, picked up her bag, and left the room.

---

Jay sat on a stone bench in the mansion's garden, his Drifloon and Mightyena play-fighting with each other.

Across the giant garden were May and Ally, commanding their battling Gyarados and Rapidash.

"Gyarados, use Hydro Pump!"

"Dodge, Rapidash, and use Stomp!"

The battle had been going on for over an hour, and both Pokemon were still going strong.

Jay couldn't help but notice the fire in May's eyes as she called out the commands for her Gyarados. Her light brunette hair cascaded around her face as she moved, framing her concentrated face.

"Gyarados, use Hydro Pump again!"

"Rapidash, use Flame Thrower!"

There was a strange explosion, but the Pokemon were still standing.

Jay sighed. He longed for the battle to stop, so that he could go over and talk to May. Maybe even ask her to the ball… if they got through.

"Rapidash, no!"

Jay glanced up, and saw that the other girl's Rapidash had collapsed onto the ground. May was dancing around and hugging her Gyarados.

'She looks so care-free, so happy…' thought Jay. He shook his head. 'The complete opposite of me.'

May and the other girl were talking by now. The other girl (Jay had decided to name her 'Blondie' because of her high-lights) was now walking away with her Rapidash.

May was now alone, praising her Gyarados.

'Right, I'll ask her now,' thought Jay, getting up from his bench. But at the same time, a green-haired boy walked up to May.

"Him!" snarled Jay, clenching his fists. He sat down again.

At first he couldn't hear anything because he was too far away, but soon he could hear their raised voices.

"Don't ever say that about my Gyarados again!" shouted May.

"I only said that it looked weak!"

"It isn't weak! It just beat Ally's Rapidash!"

"There was a type-advantage, you idiot!"

"Shut up!"

"May, no matter how much you argue, it won't change the fact that Gyarados is weak!"

"You started the argument!"

"Stop being childish!"

May screeched something that Jay couldn't quite understand. Drew glared at her, and stalked off into the mansion.

'Right, this is my chance!' thought Jay, springing up from the cold bench. He casually walked across the garden.

May could see him approaching, but turned around to tend to her Gyarados.

"Hey," said Jay, who was now standing next to her. "I saw your battle with that Rapidash. Pretty impressive."

"Do you really think so?" asked May, looking up at him. Jay nodded.

"Even though Gyarados had the advantage, it was obvious that Gyarados was the strongest," he said. "Even if it were an Electric-type you were battling, Gyarados would still have won."

"Really?" said May, smiling. "Drew and I just had a fight over it."

"Yeah, I kinda' heard you," said Jay, sweatdropping.

"Oh man, were we that loud?" asked May miserably.

"Don't worry about it," said Jay. "Wanna grab some lunch with me? I saw a sandwich bar down the road."

"I'd love to," said May, smiling.

The two of them set off down the road, talking about the upcoming contest.

As they chatted, May couldn't help but notice how handsome Jay was. His shiny black hair was similar to Drew's, perhaps a bit longer. He had dark, mysterious eyes that contrasted with his pale skin.

Suddenly, in mid-sentence as they were talking, May tripped over. But instead of falling onto the concrete beneath her, Jay swiftly kneeled over and caught her in his arms.

She couldn't do anything but blush.

---

"Drew?"

There was a knock on the door. Drew got up from the table, and opened the door, hoping it was May.

Since the fight they'd had, Drew had been feeling guilty, and had made May some sandwiches for her lunch.

But it was Ally at the door.

"You'll never guess what!" she squealed, letting herself in.

"Your Spoink has been hired as a member of the Elite Four?" muttered Drew under his breath.

"Huh? No, I just saw May going off with that gothic boy!"

Drew span around.

"Jay?"

"Yeah, that's the one! Jay and May… how cute, their names even rhyme!" said Ally happily.

"Yeah," said Drew bitterly. Ally blinked.

"Drew? Is everything alright between you and May?"

"If you really want to know, we've just had a fight," sighed Drew.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" said Ally, gasping. "I shouldn't have gone on and on about May like that!"

Drew shook his head. "No, no, it's ok."

"Well, I've gotta go now," said Ally, turning towards the door. "Soledad and I are planning on going to this sandwich bar down the road."

"Ok, see you around," said Drew.

The door closed, leaving a down-hearted Drew sitting in the room by himself. He got up and tipped the sandwiches he'd made into the trash can.

---

"Welcome, everyone, to ze second round of ze Goldenrod Grand Ville Contest!"

The crowd roared in delight as the remaining contestants stood on the stage.

One by one, Annabelle introduced each contestant.

"Soledad!"

"Gary!"

"Ally!"

"Alana!"

"Robbie!"

"May!"

"Agatha!"

"Violet!"

"Drew!"

"Christopher!"

"Cole!"

"And last but not least, Jay!"

Naturally, Drew received the loudest cheer. Soledad and May also had rather loud ones, but the rest of the contestants only received a few claps and whistles.

"Now, on ze second round, we will see which of these Pokemon are the most beautiful!"

May's jaw dropped.

"I thought we were doing battles!" she whispered hastily into Ally's ear. Ally shrugged.

"Ze contestants will be given thirty minutes to make sure that their chosen Pokemon are looking at their very best," continued Annabelle, fluttering her long eyelashes at the audience.

"They may use ribbons, glitter, any sort of accessories. And now, ze thirty minutes begin! Contestants, please exit the stage to ze left. You will be called back once ze thirty minutes are over."

May practically ran off the stage, almost knocking Ally over.

After apologizing, she dragged Ally up to her room.

"Ally! I didn't know this was a dressing up round!" shrilled May. "I thought we were battling!!"

"So, who're you gonna use for this round?" asked Ally, sitting down on Drew's bed.

"Tentasha, I think," said May, clutching Tentasha's Pokeball.

"I think I'll go with Rapidash," said Ally, getting up from the bed.

"Tentasha, come out!"

"You too, Rapidash!"

With a flash of red, Tentasha and Rapidash appeared in the small bedroom.

"Neigh!" (Bit of a small battling stage…)

"Tenta!" (I agree!)

"No, Tentasha, we aren't battling," laughed May. "We're doing a dress-up round!"

"Tenta? Tentashaaa!" (Dress-up? Yaaaaay!)

"Neigh… pff."

Ally led Rapidash back to her own room, while May maniacally rushed around the room.

'Right, Tentie! Time to make you beau-ti-ful!'

She polished Tentie's armour (using Drew's towel and deodorant).

"Tenta!!" (SHINY!)

May looked around the bedroom, searching for anything that could be used as an accessory.

Tentie saw May staring towards a pillow.

"Tentasha Taaa!" (There's no way that I'm wearing a pillow-case!!)

"Picky!" laughed May. Her eyes swivelled to the velvet curtains.

"Aha!"

When the curtains were open, they were tied in bunches with a beautifully cut silver ribbon.

'Perfect,' thought May, grinning as she untied the ribbon.

The curtain fell limply against the window, making the room look a bit lopsided, but May didn't care. She tied the ribbon around Tentasha's waist in a pretty bow.

"You look fabulous, Tentie!" said May, hugging her friend.

---

Drew didn't go up to his shared bedroom. He was out in the mansion's gardens, musing over the events.

"Ros?" (Who are you going to use for this round?)

"Huh?" Drew glanced up. "Did you say something?"

Roselia rolled her eyes.

"Ros Roselia Ros Ros!" (The contest starts in ten minutes! You have to choose one of us!)

"I'll use you."

"Ros?!" (So I'm guessing I'll have to sort myself out, mm?!)

Drew sighed, and reached into his pocket, taking out a deep purple cloth.

"Roselia!!"

Drew smiled sadly.

"Yeah. Dorian's bandana."

He gently tied it around Roselia's neck, his eyes shining.

"Rosel..."

"That bandana means everything to me," said Drew softly. "But you deserve it more than me."

Roselia's eyes glistened as she gazed at her master.

"Ros..."

"That bandana makes you look truly amazing, Roselia."

A single tear dropped from Drew's emerald eyes. He picked Roselia up in his arms, like he did the day he'd met her.

---

Jay practically skipped into his bedroom, grinning from ear to ear.

"You look cheerful," smirked his auburn-haired roommate. "What's made you so happy, goth boy?"

"Oh, nothing," said Jay, quickly resuming to his usual gloomy face. "Who are you using for this round, Gary?"

"Umbreon," replied the boy, patting the black shadow that sat beside him.

"I'm using Mightyena."

Jay grabbed the wolf's Pokeball and hastily rushed into the bathroom. A smile broke out onto his pale face again.

"I have to get through this round! I _have_ to go to the ball with May!"

---

"Rapidash, get off my bed!" screeched Ally, swatting the fire horse with a metal bracelet. "I don't want you burning it!"

"Pfft!" replied the horse, blowing a raspberry in Ally's face.

"Right hoof up, please."

Rapidash obediently rose a hoof, and put it on Ally's lap, who was sitting on a chair.

Ally clipped the bracelet onto Rapidash's leg, before giving her hoof a quick polish.

The metal bracelet was silver with small glittering diamonds embroidering it.

She put a bracelet on each of Rapidash's lower legs (while carefully avoiding the fiery blazes that burnt above the hooves), and tied fire-proof ribbons and silver chains in Rapidash's mane and tail.

"Nice," said Soledad, who'd been busily brushing her Arcanine.

"Arcanine looks gorgeous!" replied Ally, getting up from her chair. She patted its fur.

"So soft!" she squealed.

Rapidash snorted.

"Don't worry, you're still the best!" grinned Ally, hugging the horse.

"No, Arcanine's the best!" said Soledad.

The argument continued all the way down to the side-room of the stage.

"Rapidash!"

"Arcanine!"

"Rapidash!!!"

"Arcanine!!!"

"RAPIDASH!"

"ARCANINE!"

"_Shut the hell up!_"

The two girls turned around to see a whole roomful of people glaring at them. Both of them sweatdropped.

"Errr... hi!" said Ally lamely. "We were just... uhh..."

"Ally, get your butt here before someone kills you!"

May had appeared beside them, and was hastily dragging them to the corner of the room, where Drew, Gary and Jay were sitting.

"The contestants are feeling really tense," said Drew bitterly, as they sat down. "Don't get so worked up."

"Sorry," said Ally and Soledad, like two naughty schoolgirls. May laughed.

"And first up is Gary Oak, from Pallet Town!"

The auburn-haired boy smirked as he got up.

"Good luck!" said Soledad, smiling at him.

Gary quickly turned around, and rushed through the door that led to the stage.

May was sure that he was blushing.

---

One by one, the contestants disappeared through the door. None of them came back.

"It's like a horror movie," said May, biting her lip. Only she and Drew remained in the side-room. Luckily, they were on good terms again.

"I wonder how well Soledad and Ally have done," replied Drew.

"Next to last is Drew, from La Rousse!" said Annabelle's sickly sweet voice over the intercom.

May heard her friend gulped as he shakily got up from his chair. He was rarely nervous, but the contest was such an intense one that he was almost terrified of losing.

He quickly shook his head, and went back to being his confident old self.

"See you later!" he said, smirking, "If you make it!"

"Oh, and what makes you think that _you'll _get through?" asked May, raising her eyebrows.

"I'm simply fantastic," Drew shrugged, grinning.

'Dorian's bandana _has _to help Roselia...' he thought as he made his way up to the stage.

"WE LOVE YOU, DREWY-POOS!"

Drew flicked his emerald hair. The stage was so vast that at least ten Gyarados could lie down on it. The whole place was dark except for a large spotlight aiming at him, and a couple of flashes from the fanclub as they tried to take a picture of their beloved 'Drewy-poos'.

He grabbed Roselia's ball from his belt, and threw it into the air.

"Roselia!"

The elegant Pokemon swiftly gloated to the ground, its roses high above its head. Blue and red rose petals twirled around the stage.

"Fantastique!" lisped Annabelle in her annoyingly high-pitched voice.

The shiny fabric of the dark bandana caught the light, and glittered beautifully.

"Simple, but remarkable!" piped the small judge, Mr Sukizo.

"The simple use of a bandana has made a very good impact!" said Mr Contesta.

"Nice," barked Madame Marie. Drew wondered if her comment was good or not.

Before leaving the stage, he bowed (causing his whole fanclub to faint) and then wandered off the stage, with Roselia by his side.

"You were great, Roselia," he smiled. Roselia twirled in glee.

"Roseeeeeliiii!"

Drew laughed at his companion.

---

Clambering onto the stage, May tried to steady her nerves.

'You can do this, May!' she said to herself, clenching her fists. She forced a grin to her face. 'You can do this!'

"And here's our last contestant, May Maple of Petalburg City!"

Like it did for Drew, the spotlight shone on May. The crowd was silent, now staring at the brightly-dressed girl on the stage.

"Tentasha, take the stage!"

Almost exactly the way Roselia did before, Tentasha glided to the ground, shining in the spotlight. Her hair cascaded, twirling around her body, and the ribbon was dazzling brightly.

The crowd gasped. They'd already seen Tentasha the day before, but they now knew that it was the crowning glory of May's collection.

"Magnificent!" said Contesta, mesmerized.

"R-r-remarkably glorious!" stuttered Sukizo, his eyes glazed over in awe. Even Marie had stopped filing her nails to glance at the beauty.

"I like it," she said, and then something odd happened.

_She smiled._

"Au revoir for now!" said Annabelle over the microphone, her voice fifty times louder (and more annoying) than usual.

"Tentiiiii!"

Both co-ordinator and companion skipped off the stage and burst through the door.

"I think we ROCKED, Tenie!"

They found themselves in yet another side-room, very similar to the one before.

Drew, Ally and Soledad were sitting on some large comfy chairs. May rushed towards them after hugging and returning Tentasha to her Pokeball.

"How did you do?" asked Soledad the minute May sat down.

"I think Tentasha was amazing!" she gushed. Drew nodded, a half-smirk on his face.

"Roselia did pretty well too," he said, stroking Roselia, who was sitting in his lap.

"I'm glad I covered Arcanine in all that glitter!" laughed Soledad, who was sitting on top of the furry canine's back. "When he got out of the pokeball, the glitter exploded around him!"

"How did you do, Ally?" asked May, turning around to face her friend.

Ally remained silent, before...

"I THINK WE WERE FREAKIN' FANTASTIC, HEEEELL YEAAAAHHH!"

Ally bounced up and down on her chair, grinning foolishly.

"Hallelujah I brought all of Rapidash's accessories!" she said, once she'd calmed down. "Those metal bracelets made Rapidash look picture perfect!"

"Show off!" laughed Soledad. "Arcanine was waaay better!"

"Oh no..." groaned Drew and May simultaneously. Soledad and Ally were fighting again about who was the best.

Drew turned to May.

"May, I have something to ask you..."

"Mm?"

"Well, I think there's a pretty good chance of us getting through this round..."

"How do you know?"

"Well, I saw three of the other contestants crying when I came in here!"

"What about it?"

"Well, if we get through the round, will you..."

"Will I..?"

"Wihyhucumwivmetodaball?"

"Ehh?"

Drew swallowed.

"Will you come to the ball with me?"

May's eyes opened wide.

"Oh! Oh..."

"I'll understand if you say no..."

"No, no, that's not it!" said May hastily. She hated seeing Drew looking so down-hearted. "It's just that someone's already asked me."

Drew looked up into her eyes.

"Who?"

"Oh God, you'll hate me for this, but Jay asked me. And I said yes."

---

The contestants were all called to the stage together. They all stood in a straight line, facing the audience.

"Now then! The contestants that are through are, in no order..."

The contestants all gulped.

"Soledad!"

"Gary!"

"Jay!"

"Drew!"

"May!"

"And Alexandra!"

Ally grunted. "For God's sake, my name is Ally... wait. I'M THROUGH?!"

May laughed as her friend skipped around the stage, hugging all of the contestants, even Jay, who looked mortified at human contact.

"All contestants that are through, you may all return to your rooms. The rest, please stay on the stage while give out complimentary awards."

"Complimentary awards?!" groaned one of the contestants who wasn't through. "You make it sound like you're giving out complimentary peanuts!"

Annabelle grinned horribly.

"That's what we are doing, silly."

She tossed the contestant a small green bag of roasted peanuts.

---

"Drew, are you mad at me?"

It was five in the afternoon, and the two young co-ordinators were in their room.

"No," sighed Drew, sitting down beside May on her bed. "It's just that I thought we could go to the ball as friends, you know?"

"Yeah, but Jay asked me after we had that fight," replied May, looking gloomy.

"Do you like him?"

"He's nice, and rather good-looking I suppose."

Drew felt a pang in his heart.

'What's wrong, Drewy?' taunted the one, the only, _Steve._

'Oh God, you're back!'

'Drewy, you have to make May jealous!'

'Eh?'

'Ask Ally instead! She obviously has a crush on you anyway, Drewy.'

'Stop calling me that! And I wouldn't use Ally like that!'

'Is that a way of admitting that you liiiiiiike May?'

'Shut up.'

But Steve did have a point. If he asked Ally instead, if May truly liked him, she would be jealous.

"I'm gonna go to Soledad and Ally's room," he said, slipping off the bed.

"I'm gonna tell Mom about us getting to the final round!" grinned May. But then, the colour drained from her face.

"What's wrong?" asked Drew, concerned.

"I HAVE NOTHING TO WEAR!" screeched May, maniacally running towards the computer-like phone. She hastily called up her mother. Drew, forgetting about going to Ally's room, went at her and sat beside her.

"MOM!" yelled May, the minute she saw her mother's face on the screen.

"Hi honey!"

"Mooooom, I need a dress for the ball! And Drew needs a tux!"

"No I don't," grumbled Drew, but May didn't hear.

"Oh, you got through the second round!"

"But the thing is, the ball is in three hours!" wailed May.

"Don't worry," grinned Caroline. "If Drew sends his Flygon to Petalburg City, Flygon'll be able to get the clothes and bring it back to you in about an hour!"

"DO IT!" screeched May, whacking Drew. She was very violent when it came to dressing up.

Drew, rubbing his head, wandered towards the door, rather dazed.

---

"Fly?"

"Flygon, go to Petalburg."

"Flygon Fly?!" (What the hell?!)

"Go to May's house, and her mom will be there with a package. Bring it here as soon as possible!"

"Fly Fly!"

Flygon saluted its master before zooming off into the distance.

Drew made his way back into the mansion from the gardens.

He cautiously approached Ally's door. What if she said no?! What if he was turned down by every girl for _life_?!

Before he had a chance to knock, the wooden door swung open.

"Oh!"

Stood there in the doorway was Ally, looking mildly surprised. She'd obviously just come out of the shower, because her long hair was hidden by a wrap-around towel.

"Hey Drew! I was just on the way to your room to chat with May. What're you doing outside my door..?"

Drew felt his nervousness melt away. Why was he so terrified of talking to this hyper girl?

"Oh," he said vaguely, "I was just wondering if you'd like to go to the ball with me."

"For real?!"

Drew nodded. Red blushes appeared on her cheeks.

"I'd love to," she stuttered. "But I thought you'd ask May?"

"Nah, I'd rather ask the cute girl," he said, flicking his hair.

"Whew, I thought I'd end up asking Goth Boy!"

"What about Gary?"

"He already asked Soledad! Don't they make the _cutest_ couple?" squealed Ally. "Does that mean May's going with Goth Boy?"

"Most likely," said Drew, a bit quietly. But Ally was too hyped up to notice.

"I'll see you later," he said, stalking back to his own room, leaving Ally looking gormless in the corridor.

The moment he opened the door, May sprang on top of him.

"Did you send Flygon? Did you?!?" she screeched. Drew rubbed his ear.

"Sorry, I don't think the little old lady on the other side of the city quite heard you," he said, wincing at the throbbing in his ear.

"DID YOU?!"

"OF COURSE I DID!"

May blinked in surprise. _She _was the one who usually did the yelling.

"God, I'll be lucky if you haven't deafened me," grumbled Drew, going into the kitchen. May followed him quietly.

"Sorry, I was a bit over-excited about the ball and all that," she said sheepishly. "Sooo..."

"Hmm?"

"What's for dinner?!"

"Won't we be eating at the ball?"

"Only snacks! Anyway, that's almost three hours away!

"I guess I should make something to eat, right?"

"Damn right!" grinned May. "But I'm helping too!"

"As long as you don't kill either me or yourself while doing so, it's alright with me."

May stuck out her tongue at Drew, before grabbing the huge cookbook again.

"Right then... too icky... too tough... too disgusting... too easy... AHA!"

"What have you found then?" asked Drew, leaning over her shoulder. He was starting to get considerably taller than her.

"COOKIES!"

Drew sighed.

"Cookies are for dessert, May, not for dinner. Here, let me look."

He pushed her out of the way, and started flicking through the crackly pages.

Eventually, the pair decided on tomato sauce and pasta again. It was simple to make, and both of them liked it.

"May, you are not allowed to touch anything."

"Why not?!"

"If you do, you'll probably manage to burn down the whole place in some bizarre way."

"True."

While Drew was making the meal, May skipped over to Soledad and Ally's room.

"Yoohoo! Wanna come for diiiiinner?"

The door opened, revealing Soledad.

"Sure, I'll come, but Ally's a bit hyped up at the moment, so I've chained her to a chair."

"What?!"

"Kidding!" laughed Soledad. "But Ally is busy getting ready for the ball."

"It takes two hours and a half for her to get ready?"

"Well, apparently, Drew asked her to go with him."

"Really?" asked May, gob-smacked.

"Yeah."

"So who're you going with?"

"Oh, I'm going with Jay! You?"

"Oh, that Oak person. Gary, yeah?"

"Apparently, he's Ash's eternal rival!"

"Who?"

"Ash! You know! You met him at the Grand Festival..?"

"Doesn't ring a bell."

By now they were in the kitchen with Drew.

"You don't remember Ash?" asked Drew, glancing up.

"Is he the kid with spiky black hair and a Pikachu?"

"Yes!" said May. "I wonder how he's doing now..."

---

"Man, it's freezing!!"

It was late afternoon, and the four travellers had decided to camp out on the outskirts of Snowpoint City. Because of the dropping temperatures and the shorter days, the sky was all ready dark and glittering with stars.

The foursome huddled together around the fire, their teeth chattering. Snow kept falling onto their faces, and their ears felt as if they were burning.

"Here, Dawn, take my jacket."

Max got up from the snowy ground and walked towards the shivering girl, clutching his jacket. He gently put it over her frail body.

"Won't you be cold?" she said, looking up at him with her big eyes. Max grinned.

"I'll be fine!"

He went back to his sleeping bag, and huddled up to Ash.

"I wonder how May is doing?" he said. Ash smiled.

"If she's with Drew, then I'm sure everything's fine. She's probably in a contest right now!"

"I wish I could've said goodbye to her," said Max, biting his lip. "I really miss her."

"Me too," sighed Ash. "It's tough being separated from your friends. I miss Misty, May and Tracy everyday."

"Don't you wish that you could just talk to them?"

"No," sighed Ash, looking up to the stars. "If I got to talk to them just once, and then had to go for months without even speaking to them, it'd just make me miss them more. That's why I rarely say goodbye."

"I understand," said Max. "But I really regret not saying goodbye."

"Yeah, it must be different for you, because May's your sister."

"I wonder if she's met up with some of the other co-ordinators, like Soledad?"

"Most likely, but she's probably met a lot of other ones as well," replied Ash. "Maybe she even has a boyfriend now."

"I think she was really interested in Drew," smirked Max. "And Drew was really crushing on her."

Ash smiled at his friend. "Do you think so?"

Max nodded wildly. "I know so!"

"What about Harley?"

"He was a total pervert! He's probably impregnated someone by now!"

Both of them laughed. Brock and Dawn looked up from the dinner they were cooking over the fire.

"What's so funny, guys?" asked Brock curiously.

"Oh, we were just thinking about Harley," said Max.

"Oh, him! The pervert!" snarled Brock. "I really hate him!"

"Who's Harley?" asked Dawn innocently.

"You do not want to know!" replied Max. "He was a total paedophile that had a thing for my sister!"

"Eww," said Dawn, widening her eyes.

"I know," agreed Ash.

"Dinner's ready!" grinned Brock. He'd made everyone some hot soup.

"Mm, delicious!" said Dawn, shovelling the soup into her mouth. She finished eating in just ten seconds.

The rest laughed at her greediness. Soon, after finishing, they settled down to sleep. It was only half past six, but it felt like midnight for them. Plus, they had been travelling for almost two days with no sleep.

They all huddled together again to sleep. Brock, Ash and Dawn fell asleep immediately, but Max stayed awake, still thinking about his sister. He could feel Dawn's body shivering beside him.

Despite him being freezing already, he slipped his arm out of his sleeping bag and drew himself close to Dawn, sharing his remaining body heat with hers.

She stopped shivering. She opened her eyes, and smiled at Max for a split second, before falling asleep again.

Max fell asleep in happiness.

---

Outside the great mansion that Drew and May were staying in, the sun was setting. Two dark shadows stood on the hill over-looking Goldenrod City.

Harley and Charlie.

* * *

Eeeek! Sorry for the crap ending for this chapter! I wanted to include the ball in this chapter, but the chapter was already sixty pages long, so I had to stop D: Sorry about not including much about Soledad either, but now Harley's been re-introduced into the story, things will get hot and spicy!! Oh yes, Jay has a VERY surprising secret. Giggle. You won't find out until either the next chapter or the one after, though it'll probably be the next one. Chapter 17 will be up in about two or three weeks (this chapter took me a whole month to figure out!!) Oh, and about the Max and Dawn thing... don't ask. Toodles! (don't blame me if it takes you ten days to read this god damn long chapter!) xD

* * *


	17. Chapter 17 : Brothers

* * *

Holy toothpaste in a suitcase: Unfourtanate has actually updated her fanfiction. When was the last time I updated? About four months ago? Oh dear. Sorry. I've been so freakin' busy recently; exams, exams, exams, staring at my crush, exams, exams, exams, poke fights, and exams. Did I mention exams? Anyway. Enjoy this chapter. Shorter than usual, but I think most of you will enjoy it.

Disclaimer: I own a pair of sexy stripey socks, and nothing else. Actually, my friend stole my socks. He liked them apparently. I think I should go get them back...

Drew: OH SHUT THE HELL UP.

Bastard.

_

* * *

_

_The sharp branches of the shadowed trees scraped against his face as the boy scarpered, tripping as he did so._

_The night was dark and cloudy, not a single shed of light shone on the ground. Cold breaths of wind sent shivers down the boy's back as he ran._

_Tripping over a rogue vine, he collapsed onto the ground in a panting heap. He cautiously turned his head to the sight behind him._

_The clouds opened up, revealing the hidden moon. Its light was being casted onto the embankment where the boy lay._

_Jet black hair reflected the light of the moon, while dark eyes reflected the sight before the boy._

_A fire blazed at the bottom of the hill where the boy lay. Its fierce flames danced around the crisped wood that was previously the home of the boy's family._

_A single figure emerged from the burning wreck, and hurriedly sprinted towards the panting boy._

"_Cyndaquil," it chirped, as it approached the boy._

_It clambered onto his lap, and gazed down at the blaze._

"_Forgive me, my brothers," whispered the boy hoarsely. "But it had to be done."_

...

...

Two shadows overlooked the great mansion. Two pairs of glinting eyes shone in the light of the setting sun.

"He's here, Brother," said one of the figures, turning to the other figure, his fiery red hair swaying.

The other figure didn't reply. He was staring silently down towards the mansion, his eyes unblinking.

"Brother? Are you all right?" asked the red-haired figure.

"Of course I'm not," snapped the other figure, leering towards the other. "That git inside this mansion tried to kill us."

The red-haired figure fell silent.

"Come on, then, I suppose we should go find that damned git," said the other, taller figure. He emerged from the shadows of the over-hanging trees, revealing shining violet hair.

He started to make his way down the hill, but he stopped to turn to look at his brother.

"Coming, Charlie?" he said, sighing. The red-haired young man nodded, and followed the violet-haired man.

"Harley, are you sure this is the right thing? I mean, I'm sure he didn't mean to do that to our-," started Charlie, but Harley angrily snapped back at him.

Of course I am, you prat," he snarled.

Charlie fell silent again, and obediently followed his brother down the hill and into the shadows of the great building.

"Flaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayh!"

A dark green blur of flapping wings suddenly brushed against the bodies of the brothers before disappearing through a open window in one of the mansion's many rooms.

"Flygon! Finally, you're back!" said a familiar female voice in glee through the window.

"Dear God, doesn't anyone care that Flygon just flew right into our dinner?!" screeched another female voice, sounding slightly older than the first. This voice also sounded familiar to the brothers.

"Oh, bugger, I'll have to make something else now," sighed a male voice.

Both brothers blinked. A smirk crept onto the eldest brother's face.

"Looks like we've found some of the twerps as well," he grinned, his violet hair trembling as he laughed. Charlie had a pained look on his face.

"Look, Brother, I really don't want to do this."

"Oh, shut up, foolish little brother," said Harley. "After all, you did help me with the May business in Azalea."

"I was flipping drunk!" snapped Charlie. "Dropping innocent girls into holes isn't exactly my thing, unless I'm highly intoxicated."

"Don't you want to get revenge to the guy that almost killed us and burnt down our home?!"

"I'm sure he didn't mean to..."

Harley smacked his brother hard on the head.

"Listen to me, foolish brother. You are going to get into that mansion and find the git, and take him out here."

"What will you do to him?!"

A smile appeared on Harley's face again.

"A surprise," he sneered. Charlie bit his lip.

"And what if I won't?"

"Then you'll have to say goodbye to Ivy."

Charlie gasped.

"You wouldn't dare!"

"Oh, I would."

"What would you do to him?"

"I've heard that Ivysaurs taste pretty good when stir-fried..."

"No way!"

"Yes way, unless you do as I say."

"You're sick!" spat Charlie, but he did as he was told. After all, Harley was the one that had Ivysaur's Pokeball. Charlie was unsure if Harley was kidding or not, but he knew that Harley always had revenge on those who betrayed him.

He felt sorrow for the boy that was soon about to be facing Harley.

...

...

"May, come back and eat your dinner!"

But Drew's yell was unheard because May was screaming in joy and parading around the bedroom, clutching her dress.

"It's so FANTASTIC!" she screeched, jumping in glee. Soledad finished her sandwich and went over to her.

"Let me see it, then," she said, peering over the hyper brunette's shoulder. May immediately hid her dress behind her back.

"It's a secret," she grinned, before rushing into the bathroom to sort out her hair.

Drew sighed as Soledad went over to sit with him.

"Let's see what you're wearing then," she said, grabbing the other package Flygon had in its arms.

"Flaaaah!" said the green beast happily as it licked the tomato sauce it had splashed into.

Soledad ripped the package open. A black tuxedo tumbled onto the kitchen table.

Drew breathed in relief.

"Thank God! I was terrified that May's mother might send a pink tuxedo, complete with pink roses..."

Laughing, Soledad got up and bid her goodbyes to Drew.

"See you at the ball!" she called, before disappearing through the door.

"May? How long are you going to be in there?" yelled Drew through the bathroom door. "I need to use the toilet!"

"Tough, this room will be occupied for the next couple of hours!"

"How am I supposed to wait until then to relieve myself?!"

"I don't know! Be creative!"

Drew muttered, "How am I supposed to be creative about where I'm supposed to pee?!"

He eventually decided on barging into Soledad and Ally's room.

Trudging down the corridor, the knocked on the door.

"Hey again, Drew," greeted Soledad as she opened the door. "Need something?"

"Yeah, your bathroom," replied Drew, barging past her.

He went straight towards the bathroom door and attempted to open it. It was locked.

"For the love of Lugia!" he sighed angrily.

"Sorry, this bathroom is oooooccupied!" called Ally's cheery voice from inside. "Come again sooooon!"

"Ally, please, I need to pee!!"

"Drew, is that you?"

"Yes, but if you don't let me use the bathroom, I'll soon explode."

"Eww."

"Can I please use the damn toilet?"

"Sorry, as I said before, the bathroom is being used!" called Ally, a hint of humour in her voice. "Come again soon!"

Drew angrily swore to himself as he barged past a bemused Soledad and back to his own room.

"May!" he moaned. "I need to use the toilet!"

"You are not coming in here!"

Drew swore again under his breath.

"No dirty language, Drew!"

"There's gonna be dirty pants if you don't let me in!"

"Urgh, nasty mental image."

...

...

...

Luckily enough for the emerald-eyed boy, there was a bathroom down the hallway from the co-ordinators' shared room.

So there weren't any nasty explosions made of urine. Thank God, thought Drew, as he made his way back to his and May's room.

He felt incredibly bored while May occupied the bathroom. Every time he attempted to talk to her through the door, she'd say something along the lines of "Shut up, Drew, I'm trying to sort out my make-up". And there wasn't any point in going to the room next door, because both of the occupants were girls. Girls who refused to let any boy see them while they dressed up, did their make up or/or attacked their hair with chemicals.

Drew thought of messing about with his Pokemon, but it was hopeless. Flygon was fast asleep in the kitchen, its stomach bulging from all the tomato sauce it'd eaten. And the rest of the Pokemon were safely shut inside their Pokeballs. Unfortunately, Drew had stupidly left them on the bathroom shelf, which was being occupied from a certain brunette girl.

"May?" called the emerald-haired boy, knocking on the door. "I'm seriously bored here. D'you think you could open the door for a minute so I can get my Pokeballs and use them as a source of entertainment?"

May was unsure if there was a hint of sarcasm in his voice. But she opened the door for a brief moment, just wide enough to squeeze a single red and white capsule through the gap.

"Here," she said hastily, withdrawing her arm from the gap in the door and shutting the door in Drew's face.

"Uh, thanks," grumbled Drew, picking the ball up from the ground, where May had carelessly thrown it. He looked at the ball carefully.

'Damnit,' he thought to himself. 'It's Chansey's ball.'

He'd usually just leave it, but being in such a bored state, he decided to let Chansey out for a while.

A sudden flash, and soon, the giant pink blob was already bounding around the room.

"Chaaaan!"

Chansey looked rather confused at its different surroundings, but continued to prance around the room in a joyful manner.

"Chansey, do something interesting."

Drew was sitting straight-faced on the couch, staring right at Chansey. Chansey sweat-dropped.

"Chaa.. Chansey... Chan..." (Anything I think is interesting is something you find weird.)

"Ah, touché."

...

...

Eventually deciding on playing fetch with the hyper Pokemon, Drew companionably threw Chansey's Pokeball around the room, being entertained by watching Chansey's different ways of retrieving the ball. His current favourite was watching it roll up into a tight ball and bounce around the room in a blind attempt to find the Pokeball.

"What the heck are you doing, Drew?" called May from the bathroom.

"Entertaining myself," yelled Drew back.

"Shouldn't you be getting ready?"

"I would, but you're hogging the bathroom."

"Boys don't need to use the bathroom when they're getting ready for formal stuff."

"Sexist," snarled Drew. He sighed, and returned Chansey back to its ball.

He ventured into the kitchen, and grabbed the tux, which was still on the kitchen table. He looked at it.

The jacket and trousers where completely black, while the shirt and bow-tie-thing was white. Drew pondered to himself, 'Where did May's mom get this tux?"

He shrugged, and went back into the bedroom. He changed rather quickly into the tux, though he had immense difficulties with the bow-tie.

He swore, cursing himself for not knowing how to tie a stupid piece of fabric around his neck.

Eventually, he managed to tie it in a normal way. Well, it didn't look retarded, anyway. He glanced at the clock.

It was time to go.

...

...

A familiar shock of auburn hair bobbed beside Drew as he made his way down the staircase which led to the ballroom.

"Hey there, Greenie" grinned Gary, his stormy blue eyes shining. His black tux was similar to Drew's, except his bowtie was deep blue, matching his stormy eyes.

"Oh, hi," replied Drew, nodding in greeting. He leaned casually on the banisters.

"Got yourself a date for this ball?" asked Gary, positioning himself beside Drew. The emerald-haired boy nodded.

"Yeah, with Ally."

"That girl who keeps shrieking about random things?"

"Yeah. I heard you were going with Soledad."

"Yep," grinned Gary. He twirled his pendant, which he had now wrapped around his wrist so it wouldn't get in the way of his bowtie. "She was the closest one to my age, plus she's pretty nice."

"How old are you exactly?" asked Drew out of interest.

"Fifteen," replied Gary. "You're thirteen, right? I remember reading about you in Co-Ordinators Weekly."

"Hm."

"I read about this other guy... Harvey or something. He's supposed to be a top co-ordinator too. I thought I'd see him here, actually," mused Gary.

Drew pondered to himself. It'd be best not mentioning the fact that Harley was actually... well, a complete idiot. Who was in jail.

"That purple-haired guy?" he said casually. "Yeah, I heard he'd gone into the Sinnoh area."

"Really? That's where I was for the past year or so," smiled Gary, remembering the grassy plains and fresh air.

"Yeah, you know Ash? He's there right now too."

"Ashy-boy told me before he left. I wonder how-,"

Gary's voice broke off as he stared up the staircase past Drew, his face in awe. Drew spun around to see what had caused Gary to stare.

"Holy cow. She looks so freakin' _hot_," breathed Gary.

Soledad stood at the top of the staircase, grinning down at the two younger boys. Her fiery red hair was swept up into an elegant bun, with strands of it fluttering around her face, framing it beautifully. Her light emerald gown was embroidered with white sequins which glimmered in the light of the hall.

"Hi guys," she greeted, walking down the stairs to stand beside them.

"Hey," nodded Drew. Gary was still in a state of mild shock.

"H-haaaii..." he breathed.

"Ready to go?" smiled Soledad. Gary seemed to pull himself together when she asked him that.

"Yeah," he said, his voice back to normal once more. He offered his arm to her, which she gladly accepted.

"Actually," said Soledad, as they started to descend down the stairs, "let's wait for May. I want to see what she's wearing."

Gary nodded. He couldn't complain; after all, he personally thought that May was pretty damn hot.

"Is Ally coming?" called Drew down to the pair. Soledad shrugged.

"She was just finishing up her make up when I went out the door," she replied.

"Oh."

A pair of feet enclosed in pearly white heels appeared on the top of the staircase. Drew glanced up.

Ally stood there, her eyes outlined with mascara and silver eyeliner. Her hair was beautifully curled, framing her delicate face. Her layered sapphire dress swept along the staircase as she walked towards Drew.

"Hey hey," she greeted playfully. "You look very nice, Drew."

"You look amazing," replied Drew truthfully. He never realized that Ally had such a pretty face.

"Aww, thanks," she grinned. She glanced around. "Hey, isn't May here? Or Jay?"

Drew loathed the way May and Jay's names rhymed.

"May'll be here soon," he said, in a slightly forced calm tone.

The two couples waited for a few minutes, companionably talking to each other. The sound of footsteps at the top of the stairs caused everyone to look up once more to see none other than May.

Her hair was glamorously wild; both straight and wavy. Her outlined eyes sparkled in the hall's light, and her scarlet dress was embroidered with black veils. It swept along the stairs as she made her way down to the two couples; her arm was entwined around a black-haired boy's.

"She looks beautiful!" gasped Ally, clasping a hand to her shimmery lips. Soledad nodded in agreement, while Gary merely drooled. Drew, though, wasn't looking at May; he was looking at the boy beside her.

"Hey," smirked Jay, as he and his date approached the two pairs. "Ready to go?"

His black hair was strewn across his eyes in a manner girls would find cute and sexy. But Ally had a look of great disgust on her face. She, a hyperactive bubbly girl, found Jay, a gothic and dark boy, very off-putting.

The three couples made their way to the doors that lead to the ballroom, before a sudden noise of hooves stopped them.

"What the-?" said Gary, turning around before seeing a tall, scarlet-haired young man standing behind them all, an elegant Stantler standing beside him.

"Who're you?" demanded Ally, frowning. But Drew, May, Jay and Soledad were in a stunned silence, their eyes wide. Drew was the first to pull himself together.

"You!" he snapped. "You're the one that almost strangled May!"

"You almost killed my Gyarados!" snarled May, stepping forward to stand beside Drew.

Soledad's face had drained of all its colour. This man... no, it couldn't possibly be...?

Ally had realized that her friend had gone silent.

"What's wrong, Sol?!" she said urgently.

"It's him!" whispered Soledad hoarsely, her eyes wide. Drew heard what she said, and turned around.

"It isn't Harley, Soledad," he said firmly. "This is his brother."

All six of the co-ordinators stared up at the tall figure of Harley's brother.

"I see you remember me," he said quietly.

"Of course we do!" said May furiously.

"Why are you here, Charlie?" demanded Drew, clenching his fists. "And where's Harley?"

"I don't want to cause any trouble," said Charlie, his lips barely moving. His face was pale as he raised his hand to point. "I just want to talk to him."

The hand was pointing at a stunned Jay.

"Jay?" said May, rather baffled. "What does Jay have to do with you?"

The black-haired boy shook his head, backing away slowly from Charlie.

"N-no!" he breathed. "I-I thought you were d-dead!"

The seven occupants of the mansion's main hall fell silent. May stared at Jay.

"You know each other?!"

"Yes," muttered Charlie, his eyes to his feet. "He's my younger brother."

* * *

...Yeah, I'm not gonna say anything. Review, unless you want a tin of baked beans lodged in your butt area.

Edit: What the hell?! When did I say this is the ending? O.o I got this random bizarre review saying something along the lines of "I hate you" and "Crap ending" or something like that. I swear to you, there's at least five more chapters. Probably ten. basjkhdgskhjadgbshjfg\sdjhb Yeah, I do that when I'm annoyed.

* * *


	18. Chapter 18 : The Battle Of Memories

* * *

I'm so sorry D: I've been a horrible author, leaving you with such a cliff-hanger for almost two months. But... wheeeeeeew, I think this is my favourite-ever chapter. It's so awesome, and you find out a LOT of stuff. Oh, and a certain someone makes an appearance! YAYZ.

Oh, I've drawn a picture of how Charlie and Jay look. I'm going to scan it soon, so I'll post a link to the pictures when I get them up on my DeviantArt account :D

_Le Disclaimer!_

Madameoiselle Unfourtanate owns nothing except for her _tres sexy blanc et rouge chausettes. Oui, Unfourtanate is FRANCAIS! _Ok, not really. xD But I do own a pair of sexy socks 8D Anyway, Pokemon belongs to some random dude in Japan and I am not taking any credit except for my story, Charlie, Jay and the crap cliffhangers. Oh, and Spoink's 'weehee' disorder.

ENJOY, MON BROCHETTES!

* * *

What happened next was a total blur in May's eyes; Jay lunged towards his older brother, shrieking furiously.

"I'm not your brother!" he screamed, flailing his arms angrily on Charlie's chest. "My relations to you and Harley died the day I tried to kill you!"

Charlie didn't try and restrain his brother from pounding on him; he merely had a sad expression as his emotional eyes gazed at Jay.

"I know why you're angry with us," he said quietly. "But please, Jay, listen to what I have to say."

"Why should we listen to anything you say?" growled Ally. "I may not know what's going on, but judging by the fact that you're infuriating everyone, I'm assuming that you're a total jerk! And now your brother's gotten Soledad pre-,"

She hastily stopped speaking. She realized that Soledad wouldn't want Charlie to know that Harley had fathered a child.

"Look, Redhead," said Gary. "Like Anna, or whatever her name is, I have no idea what the hell is going on here, but I advise you to get out of here before you irritate us too much."

As he said that, he'd grabbed a Pokeball from his belt and had thrown it into the air, revealing his Umbreon.

"I don't want to fight!" said Charlie, exasperated. "I just want to talk to Jay, that's all!"

"But Jay obviously doesn't want to talk to you!" snarled Gary, defending his roommate.

"Oh for Ho-Oh's sake!" sighed Charlie. "Just let me explain, will you?!"

"Personally," said Drew, turning to Gary, "I'd like to know what this guy has to say. Let him talk."

Charlie nodded gratefully, but Drew glared at him.

"Just tell us what you want to say."

"Well, as you obviously know, Harley is my older brother, and Jacob is my younger one."

"Don't call me that," snarled Jay. "I hate my putrid name."

"Oh, shut up," spat Drew, "and let the guy talk."

"Years ago, me and Harley lived together with Jay. Our parents have been dead for years. But me and Jay were too young to remember them, for Jay was only a baby and I was about five when they died in a car crash. But Harley still remembers them."

"What does this have to do with anything?" said Ally.

"Well, Harley decided that he, the eldest, should take care of us two. The minute he was ten years old, he smuggled us out of the care home we were living in, and took us to live in our old home, which was unoccupied. No one knew we lived there; it was in the middle of a forest, so no one ever visited. As we got older, Harley needed more and more money to look after us. He trained as a co-ordinator, but earned very little money. By then, Jay was about seven years old, while I was eleven. Harley worried more and more about us, and almost sent us back to the care home, thinking we'd be better off there. But the three of us stuck together through thick and thin. But Jay kept running away from home, and eventually, Harley just lost it; the pressure of being a parent got to him, and he lashed out. He slapped Jay across the face and kicked 

him, before running out of our house and into the forest, where I was sitting in a tree, playing with my Bulbasaur. Harley was attacking everything he saw while he wept furiously. He kicked trees, rocks, the house, but what shocked me the most was when he kicked an actual Pokemon."

"He kicked a Pokemon just because he was angry at Goth Boy?!" gasped Ally, raising a hand to her mouth in horror.

"It was a Cranidos," replied Charlie quietly. "Harley repeatedly kicked it in its head. I couldn't take it anymore; I leapt down from my perch in the tree to stop Harley from hurting the Cranidos anymore, but he just kicked me instead. Eventually, he calmed down and apologized to Jay and I. He felt so bad that he actually looked after the Cranidos until it felt better. Unfortunately though, the Canidos lost all trust in humans and grew wild and often rampaged. When it evolved, we had no choice but to give it to another trainer to look after; it was a co-ordinator named Dorian, I think, from La Rousse."

The colour in Drew's face drained. Harley... Cranidos... kicking... evolving... Rampardos... Dorian... death.

"But Harley's outbursts happened more and more often, until it was happening once or twice every week. Eventually, Jay couldn't take it anymore. He ran away three years ago with his Cyndaquil. And the night he disappeared, our house burnt down."

May stared horrified at Jay, her chocolate eyes wide, stunned.

"You tried to kill your family?" she said, stuttering. Jay glared at Charlie, his eyes filled with rage.

"How dare you," he spat. "I went to the Johto to earn a new life for myself. I'll admit it, I'm relieved that you're still alive, Charlie; you weren't so bad. But Harley... he treated me like dirt! I'm pissed off that he isn't dead!"

"He was under pressure, Jacob," said his older sibling quietly. "How would you feel if you were suddenly in charge of two young kids, when you were just ten years old? He was scared, Jacob."

"Stop calling me that!" bellowed Jay, causing Charlie to fall silent once more. "Harley was the one that snuck us out of that care home and to that disgusting old house! I'd have been much happier off in the care home with you, Charlie, and Harley being far away, preferably dead. You were always kind to me, Charlie, but you never stuck up for me when Harley abused us!"

"You're an idiot, Jay!" snarled Drew suddenly. May stared at him.

"Drew? Are you alright?" she asked nervously. Drew had a dark look on his face.

"No, I'm not," he spat. He raised a finger to point towards Jay. "This idiot tried to kill his own brothers!"

"Harley was killing me," barked Jay. "He barely fed me, I was constantly ill and I still have scars on my back that proves his abusing. I admit it, burning down the house was a bit to the extreme, but right now, I wish Harley was dead."

"Then why did you try to kill Charlie?!" said Ally. Gary nodded viciously.

"You said you cared for Charlie!" he said roughly. Though neither Gary nor Ally were supposed to be involved, they couldn't help but say what they felt.

"I did care for him," replied Jay. "And yes, I still do. But though he always showed kindness to me, he never tried to defend me."



"Maybe what Charlie did was wrong, Jay," said May, "but he still loves you as a brother!"

"So you tried to kill your brothers..." said Drew quietly. And before anyone could stop him, he'd raised his fist and punched Jay in the face, resulting in a gruesome cracking noise coming from Jay's cheekbone.

Jay fell onto his knees, his throbbing head being held in his hands.

"You're disgusting, Jay," spat Drew. "You don't value the fact that you still have siblings, do you?!"

"Leave my brother alone!"

Charlie leapt aside, his tall figure defending his younger brother. Drew glared up at the red-haired young man.

"You still care for your disgusting brother even though he tried to kill you?" he snarled. Charlie shook his head.

"He couldn't have killed me even if he tried, for I wasn't in the house when it burnt."

Everyone stared at Charlie.

"What?" blinked Ally.

"I wasn't in the house; I also ran away the day Jay disappeared. I grabbed my Bulbasau. I stood on the branches of a high tree, watching my home burn down. And you know what? I was glad. Harley was dead."

...

...

"_Where did that jerk go?!"_

_The two younger brothers quivered next to each other as they heard the screeching voice of the eldest._

"_Jacob?! Where the hell are you? You disgusting little snot-nosed brat!"_

_Charlie put his hand reassuringly on Jay's hand, and smiled warmly._

"_Don't worry, Jacob," he said quietly. "Harley won't find us here. He never goes into the coat closet."_

_But the door of the closet flew open, revealing an enraged teenage Harley towering before the two young brothers._

"_You!" he snarled, leering down at Jay, who whimpered._

"_Brother,"pleaded Charlie. "Please..."_

_His words drifted away as Harley shot a glare at him._

_Jay, in a desperate bid for escape, scrambled to his feet and attempted to speed pass Harley, but the violet-haired teenager was too fast for Jay. He swiftly grabbed the collar of Jay's shirt, the wrist of Charlie, and dragged them out of the coat closet._

"_Why?" he spat, leading them to the hall. "Why do you keep hiding from me?"_

"_Because you're a horrible brother!" cried Jay, wincing as the grip on his collar tightened._

_Charlie said nothing, he merely stared down to the ground. Harley turned to sneer at his red-haired sibling._

"_You keep leading Jacob away from me, trying to 'protect him'," he spat, narrowing his eyes as he stood over the thin frame of Charlie. "Yet you never actually succeed!"_

_Charlie remained silent, fixedly staring at the willow-patterned carpet of the hall. Harley turned again once more to face Jay._

"_Well, Jacob, Charlie isn't willing to help you," he said, smiling in a twisted manner. "Let's see if he'll help you when I do this!"_

_An immense shriek of agony contorted with the sound of fists colliding with skin; Jay sprawled onto the floor, deep scarlet blood dripping from his mouth._

"_I'm sorry, Brother!" cried Charlie suddenly, his voice cracking. His face was reflecting fear as Harley turned to stare at him._

"_Scared of getting beaten up, little Charlie?" he teased dangerously. Charlie shook his head fiercely._

"_I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" he repeated. "Please don't hurt me!"_

_Jay stared in disbelief at his brother's pleading. His eyes were wide, and if he'd been capable of speech, he'd be spitting the word, "Traitor"._

_Harley didn't say anything; his fist flew through the air and straight into the side of Charlie's head. The red-haired boy was immediately knocked out of consciousness._

"_Poor, poor Jacob," sighed Harley, a hint of playfulness in his twisted voice as he turned around slowly to face his bleeding brother. "Charlie is too scared to stick up for his own flesh and blood. You could've avoided all of this if you STOPPED RUNNING AWAY FROM YOUR HOME!"_

_Those last shrieks echoed through the house. Jay stumbled onto his feet and glared into Harley's face._

"_I hate you," he said, blood still pouring from his mouth. "I hate you, I hate Charlie, I hate this house, I hate my life!"_

_Crack; fist collided with skin once more. Thud; body collided with ground, consciousness drifting away from it. Harley stood over the limp frames of his younger brothers. He gave an additional kick to Jay's head before skulking away to his bedroom to do his school homework._

_Silence was all to be heard in the hall for almost three hours; as the chime for midnight began, Charlie stirred as his consciousness returned to him. He gingerly opened his un-bruised eye and wearily raised his head as the memories of the night returned to him._

"_Jacob!" he gasped, as he remembered. But Jay was gone. A pool of blood, still deep and scarlet, was in the place of Charlie's younger sibling._

_He didn't waste any more time; he staggered onto his feet, wincing, for his whole body ached. He rushed up the stairs as silently as possible, for he didn't want Harley to find out that he had awoken._

'_I'm not staying here a minute longer,' swore young Charlie as he hurried across the landing that led to his bedroom. 'I'm fed up of cowering in front of Harley; I'm going to find Jacob, and we'll run away together.'_

_He burst into his bedroom through the doorway. A small green Bulbasaur, which had been slumbering on his bed, jerked up and stared towards Charlie._

"_Bulba? Bulba Bulbasaur!"_

_The creature scurried towards Charlie, worried because of the black eye Charlie was sporting._

"_We're going, Bulba," said Charlie in a low voice, as he grabbed his jacket from the closet._

"_Bulba!? Saur Bulbasaur!"_

"_I'll explain once I find Jacob and we're far away from here!" replied Charlie, scooping Bulbasaur into his arms._

"_Saur!"_

_Charlie sped out of his bedroom, searching in a panicky manner for his youngest brother._

"_Jacob!" he hissed, rushing around the house, trying to be as silent as possible. "Jacob!_

_But the raven-haired boy was nowhere to be seen. Charlie sighed._

"_Hopefully," he said to his Bulbasaur as he hurried downstairs, "he's already left the house."_

"_Charles!"_

_The screech of his name echoed around the hallway as Charlie stood rooted to the spot before the front door that led to his freedom. He heard footsteps pounding down the stairs. Turning around fearfully, he saw Harley approaching him steadily, his face full of rage._

"_You... you tried... you..." stuttered the violet-haired teenager, incapable of speech because of his anger. Charlie could no longer stand it. He was fed up of being a doormat, of being a loser, of being a punch-bag for his eldest sibling._

"_Goodbye, Brother. I hope we never meet again."_

_And with those words, Charlie shoved the door open and ran for his life, not daring to look back. He clutched his beloved Bulbasaur close to his chest as he grabbed a Pokeball from his belt. Still not turning around, he threw the capsule into the air, and, after a blinding flash, an elegant Stantler was running beside him. Charlie swung himself and Bulbasaur onto the Stantler's back, and all three of them cantered through the forest while Charlie frantically called for Jacob._

_After half an hour or so, the chestnut Stantler began to slow down, so Charlie slipped off its back to give it a break. Still holding his small Bulbasaur, Charlie sat down beside Stantler, leaning on its panting flank._

_They were lying on a hill, a hill that had many tall, shadowing trees._

'_If I could climb up one of those trees,' thought Charlie glancing towards the tallest of the trees, 'maybe I'd be able to see Jacob.'_

_Climbing to his feet, Charlie set Bulbasaur on the ground._

"_Bulbasaur? Saur, Saur, Bulbasaur Bulba!"_

"_It's alright, Bulba." And with those words, Charlie returned Stantler and Bulbasaur back to their Pokeballs._

_He swiftly and silently clambered up the trees, his skills reflecting those of a Mankey. As he approached the top, he perched himself on a branch, and gazed around the treetops of the dark forest._

_It was a cloudy night; the moon was hidden behind a shroud of clouds. The stars refused to reveal themselves behind the blanket of the night. Charlie sighed. He had no chance of finding Jacob in such dark conditions._

_But something far away caught his eye; the sky, about two miles away, seemed to be a lighter shade, as if the sun was already rising. But it was only the early hours of the morning, it'd be impossible for it to be already daylight. Charlie then realized, with a skip of his heartbeat, that the orange glow was actually fire. And the orange glow was directly above his home._

_Charlie stared, dumbfounded, at the fire, his eyes widening in shock. But he didn't feel despair; there was a different emotion filling up in his heart. What was this odd feeling? It was then he realized that the emotion was relief. Relief; his brother was dead. He was burning in the house. His disgusting brother was dead. His corpse would never be found, for it will be burnt to ashes._

_Charlie stared for a few minutes longer at the fire before something in the corner of his eye moved. Jerking his head around, he saw a small shadow scurrying through the trees. Charlie's heart leapt; could it be Jacob?_

_The figure emerged from the trees, and threw himself to the ground where Stantler and Bulbasaur had been sitting on minutes earlier. Although the night was dark, Charlie immediately recognized the shock of black hair on the figure's head._

"_Jacob!" cried Charlie from the treetop, but his voice was carried away by the wind. He tried calling again, but he was too far up for Jay to hear him._

_Another figure suddenly appeared; it was much smaller, and it had flames burning on its back Cyndaquil!_

_Charlie attempted to clamber down the tree, but his jacket caught on a twig. As he attempted to jerk himself free, he heard Jay get up from the ground and scurry away once more._

"_No! Jacob, come back!" screeched Charlie, and, giving one final tug on his jacket, he got free from the tree. But he'd tugged far too hard; he lost his footing and fell._

_He landed heavily on his right shoulder; he felt it immediately break. Screaming in agony, Charlie staggered onto his feet, and released Stantler from his Pokeball._

_Not bothering to say anything, he clambered onto Stantler's back. The Stantler instantly knew what to do; find Jay._

_They cantered through the trees where Jay had hurried through, but it seemed that the boy had simply vanished. Minutes turned into hours, and as day break approached, Charlie and Stantler found themselves on the outskirts of the forest._

_Charlie slowly slipped off Stantler's back. Harley was dead, Jacob was gone... a tear dropped from Charlie's shimmering eye as he sunk onto the dewy grass, passing out from sheer exhaustion and the pain in his shoulder._

_..._

_..._

His onyx eyes widened as he stared at his older brother.

"You were never in the house?" spluttered Jay in disbelief. "But when I woke up after Harley abused us, you were still knocked out on the ground!"

"While you were busy setting the house alight," replied Charlie, his voice not cold, "I woke up as well. I grabbed Bulbasaur and Stantler's Pokeball, and ran. I ran for my life and looked high and low for you. And then I saw you, running from the house with Cyndaquil."

Jay fell silent.

"I was standing in the tree behind you while you stared at our burning home," continued Charlie. "I tried to yell at you, but you couldn't hear me. And when you disappeared through the trees again, I tried to climb down the tree, but I fell and broke my shoulder."

"You... what?"

"I broke my shoulder. Quite badly, it's still damaged now. After all, I fell twenty five feet. Anyway, I attempted to find you again while riding on Stantler, but I couldn't find you anywhere. I collapsed and blacked out outside the forest, and luckily an old woman and her Granbull found me as they were taking their daily morning walk. I woke up three hours later in the Kiraviolet hospital, and ever since then, I've been trying to find you, Jacob."

May frowned. "How did you meet Harley again, if you thought he was dead?"

"He can't be alive, he can't be..." whispered Jay to himself, his face pale and ghostly.

"Oh shut up," snapped Drew, shooting a glare.

"I found out he was still alive when I read Co-ordinators Weekly a few months ago. I found out that he was still a Co-ordinator. We met again when I was travelling through Azalea Town."

...

...

"_CHARLIE!?"_

_The colour drained out of Charlie's face as the sound of his name echoed around the plaza of the town he was trying to leave._

"_Charlie, is that you!?"_

_Charlie sighed and turned around slowly. It was time to face the music. But the 'music' almost gave him a heart attack._

_A figure bizarrely emerged from a box of cushions .And that figure was none other than Charlie's eldest brother._

_Harley was several inches taller, yet somehow, Charlie was even taller. Harley's violet hair had grown so long that it cascaded down his back, and his Cacturne outfit gave him a ridiculous flamboyant look. Charlie anxiously fingered his own long fiery red hair which he kept tied in a ponytail._

"_Hey, Harley," he muttered flatly. Harley beamed at him as he bounded up to Charlie._

"_Charlie, I haven't seen you in years!" grinned the young man. Charlie couldn't bring himself to look into Harley's eyes. "How's Jacob doing these days?"_

"_I don't know, I haven't seen him for years," replied Charlie quietly, still averting his eyes. Harley cocked his head._

"_You mean, you haven't been with Jacob?" he questioned._

"_No. I haven't seen him since the night we... well, you know." Charlie brought his eyes up to face Harley. "So, do you want to beat me up or what?"_

_Harley looked shocked. "Why would I do that!? I haven't seen you for years!"_

"_You punched and kicked me six years ago; I don't see why you wouldn't now."_

"_Listen, Charlie," sighed Harley, sitting down on a bench in the busy plaza, "I've changed. I'm a successful Co-ordinator now."_

"_Yeah, I read about you in Co-Ordinators Weekly," replied Charlie. He reluctantly sat beside his elder brother. "I read a lot of things about you in it. It says you've won Grand Festivals, and that your rivalry with these two kids called May and Drew is really intense."_

_Harley, for one split-second, looked as if he wanted to scream, but he remained calm. "Don't say their names around me, I hate their disgusting guts."_

_They reminisced for a few hours, sitting on the plaza's bench. Charlie was astounded; it seemed that Harley had completely changed. He even apologized for almost killing both Jay and Charlie._

_They talked for a while longer, and Harley eventually managed to convince Charlie to travel with him, so that they could both find Jacob._

"_Let's celebrate the fact that two brothers have met up once more!" grinned Harley, grabbing Charlie's arm and dragging him to his feet. "To the pub!"_

_And, before Charlie could protest, Harley had led him to the nearest pub._

_An hour or so later, a highly drunken Charlie and a completely non-intoxicated Harley emerged from the pub. Harley had cunningly plotted for Charlie to get drunk as soon as he'd set eyes on him. He commanded for the intoxicated teen to go dig a pit in one of the alleys._

_A few minutes later, a girl hurried through the alleyway, searching for her friend. And she fell straight into Charlie's pit._

"_Drew! Drew- Whah!!"_

_The ground underneath the girl collapsed, and she tumbled into a pitfall._

"_Team Rocket!" she snarled, standing up. She rubbed her back, where she had just landed on it. "I know it's you!"_

_She heard laughter from above the hole._

"_Prepare for Harley!"_

"_And his brother, Charlie!"_

"_We would have thought I had a brother?"_

"_We two are siblings, but like no other!"_

"_Harley!"_

"_Charlie!"_

"_We are here to make everything worse!"_

"_Cacturne!"_

"_Stantler!"_

_The girl blinked. That wasn't Team Rocket's motto. What did they say their names were? Charlie, and..._

"_Harley!" she gasped. Looking down at her were two young men, with long cascading hair. Harley, of course, had purple hair, but his brother, Charlie, had flaming red hair. A tall, elegant Stantler stood next to him, pawing the ground with its hooves. Harley grinned._

_..._

_..._

"So when I fell into that pit..." said May slowly, her face concentrated, "You were drunk?"

"Yes."

"And how am I supposed to believe you?"

"I suppose I have no proof."

Drew stepped forward, his face full of rage. "You went back to that bastard, even though he tried to kill you and your brother?!"

"...I only did it so I could find Jacob again," muttered Charlie quietly, averting his eyes. Drew snorted.

"You just said a few minutes ago that you felt pity for Harley!" he said.

"It was a lie," sighed Charlie. He raised his head. "I hated Harley, and I still do. When I met up with him again, for a while I thought, 'Oh my God, Harley's actually changed!' But then he got me drunk, tried to kill an innocent girl and now he's on the hunt for our brother."

All eyes fell to Jay.



"So, you're here to take me to him, so that you won't get beaten up?" sneered Jay, his face red and bleeding from where Drew had attacked him.

"No," replied Charlie, shaking his head. "I'm here to see my lost brother, to tell him that I love him, and to tell him to run for his life."

"Run for my life?" scoffed Jay. "Why, is Harley going to kill me?"

"Harley doesn't seem to remember much of the night where we ran away," replied Charlie. "He thinks I was in the house with him when the fire started. It turns out that he actually inhaled a lot of smoke, but he managed to get away from the house before the fire spread too much. The smoke probably altered with his mind. So therefore, Harley thinks that you tried to kill me too, because he thinks I was in the house with him. And he wants payback. I've been playing along with him, saying how much I hate you for trying to kill us, and all that crap. But I only stayed with him so that I could find you. And I have done that. And now I'm telling you to run, Jay, run. Harley is outside this very mansion, and he's ordered me to come in here to get you out. But he'll probably get you himself if I don't bring you, so please listen to me, Jacob; run."

Jay looked gobsmacked.

"You've been lying for all this time while you've been with him?"

"Yes, I'm filled to the brim with lies," said Charlie, smiling faintly. "Now, if you don't run, I'm afraid I'll have to force you."

Tears welled up in Jay's eyes, and he did nothing to wipe them away.

"You actually care about me..."

Charlie held his youngest brother in a brief hug. "I'll run with you, Jay. I've betrayed Harley, now, so he probably wants to kill me now."

Gary sneered. "Don't you think 'kill' is a bit too heavy?"

"He's already tried killing May, and Drew. Jay was next on the list. I'm probably someone he wants to kill too, now," replied Charlie. He grabbed Jay's arm. "Come on. We better run. We can return later when we're sure Harley is-,"

His sentence remained unfinished. His eyes widened, his face drained of all its colour as he stared, petrified, up the stairs.

"You disgusting traitor!"

The shriek ringed in everyone's ears as they turned to see what had caused Charlie to turn so pale, and look so horrified.

"Harley," whispered Drew, his face set in a grimace. May stepped in front of everyone to face the man on the stairs, mainly defending Soledad and Jay.

"May, get out of my way," snarled Harley, as he made his way down the stairs, his violet hair flying behind him.

"Don't you get any closer to us, Harley," said May in a dangerous tone of voice. "Don't even look at us. You've already caused enough trouble."



The violet-haired young man smirked. "I suppose Charlie has told you everything about me?"

Soledad suddenly stepped forward, blocking Harley's path.

"Move," said Harley coldly, eyeing the girl. Soledad narrowed her eyes, but remained where she was. Harley smirked again. "Do you want me to hurt you?"

"Don't you dare touch me." She took a deep breath, and added, "Or my child."

The room fell silent once more. Harley stared at the red-head girl before him, his face first confused, and then stricken. Ally bit her lip.

"Oh my God!" shrieked Gary suddenly. "You're pregnant with _his _kid!?"

"Nice guess," smirked Ally, who couldn't help herself. Gary instantly looked ill. Harley also looked incredibly nauseous.

"P-pregnant?" he stuttered. He seemed to totally forget about Charlie and Jay standing before him.

"Yes, remember?" said Soledad coldly. She stood before the now-quivering violet-haired man. "You're going to be a father, Harley."

Harley looked as if he wanted to throw up. Drew stared at Soledad, amazed by her bravery. He quickly shook his head and turned to face Harley.

"I advise you to leave," he said lowly. "You're not welcome here. In the ballroom next to this hall, there are a hundred co-ordinators. I'm sure that if we told them our story, they'd be happy to beat you up, Harley."

"I don't care," spat Harley. "I don't care about you and May, I don't care about my brothers, and I don't care about the fact that I'm apparently going to be a father. I don't _care._"

As he said that, he threw a Pokeball into the air, revealing his Cacturne.

Drew grabbed his belt, but he felt a hand on his shoulder. Turning around, he saw Charlie looking down on him, a sad smile on his face.

"This is our battle," he said quietly. Jay nodded beside him.

"Houndoom, Charizard, show your stuff!" he shouted, releasing to Pokemon from their Pokeballs.

The two fire-types stood in front of Jay. Houndoom was baring its great fangs at Harley, while Charizard was pounding the ground with its massive clawed feet.

"Not using Cyndaquil, or whatever it's evolved into, Jacob?" sneered Harley, as he threw another Pokeball into the air, revealing his Banette.

"Typhlosion died," spat Jay.

Harley froze for a few seconds, before smirking.

"Got what it deserved, then."

Jay raised a fist to punch his eldest brother, but Charlie stood before him with his Stantler.



"Dragonair, it's your turn!"

There was yet another blinding flash, revealing a long sapphire sea serpent.

There was silence between all three brothers, before they all suddenly commanded their Pokemon at the same time.

"Charizard, Houndoom, double Flare Blitz!"

"Stantler, Dragonair, use Stomp and Waterfall!"

"Banette, Cacturne, use Will-O-Wisp and Frenzy Plant!"

There was an explosion of strong attacks as the Pokemon were pitted against each other. Houndoom scorched Cacturne immediately, causing the Pokemon to collapse onto the ground at Harley's feet. Stantler proceeded to Stomp the Cacturne, before turning back to help Dragonair with the Banette. Charizard flew around everyone's backs, making sure that Harley didn't get away.

Harley bit his lip, before releasing two more Pokemon. Wigglytuff and Octillery joined the fight, and so did Ariados. Cacturne stumbled onto its feet at Harley's command.

Wigglytuff used Hyper Beam on Dragonair, causing the dragon to crash to the ground before flailing its tail angrily at Wigglytuff. Ariados clambered onto Charizard's back before it could do anything, and injected the flying dragon with poison.

Charizard skidded onto the ground and shook Ariados off its back before burning the bug with Flamethrower. The Ariados wobbled on its feet for a while, before collapsing onto the ground, in a dead faint. Stantler pounded its hooves against Octillery and Cacturne, causing the red octopus to immediately get knocked out. A few seconds later, Cacturne also fell, and this time it didn't get up for a second time. And finally, Banette crashed to the ground. Harley angrily returned them back to their Pokeballs.

"You've gotten stronger, Charlie," he acknowledged. Charlie grinned, a half grimace, before commanding his Dragonair to use Dragonbreath on Wigglytuff.

Wigglytuff struggled to stay on its feet, but eventually fell to the ground, unconscious.

"Wigglytuff, return!" screeched Harley in anger. "Don't smirk, Jacob; you haven't won yet."

He reached into his pocket and exposed another Pokeball, and threw it into the air. There was a blinding flash, and then a deafening roar.

Everyone in the room covered their ears to block out the incredibly loud screech, except for Drew. The roar was familiar.

As the light faded away, Drew realized why the roar was so familiar. It was the exact same roar he'd heard so many years ago, on the day his brother had given up his own life.

The Rampardos before them gave a mighty screech again, before thrashing its tail. Charlie, Jay and their Pokemon all stood still. Charlie was the first to speak.

"That's the Rampardos that you looked after six years ago, isn't it?" he said quietly. Harley smirked.

"But I thought you gave it away to that co-ordinator from La Rousse!" said Jay.



"I did," replied Harley, as the Rampardos continued to stomp its massive feet. "But apparently, Rampardos killed the co-ordinator."

There was a strangled silence. May gasped, "Killed?!"

"That Rampardos," said Charlie shakily, pointing anxiously at the Rampardos, "killed the Contest Champion Dorian of La Rousse?"

"Yeah," said Harley, a smirk still on his face. "I managed to find Rampardos again, in the middle of a forest outside La Rousse. And I think Rampardos is a bit hungry for blood again."

"_No!_"

Everyone spun around and saw Drew panting heavily, clutching his head in his hands as he doubled over.

"Drew!?" cried May in panic. "Are you okay!?"

She rushed to his side, and gripped his hands.

"Drew, what's wrong?!"

Drew shakily raised his head to face May.

"May... I've never told you before, but I used to have an older brother," he said hoarsely.

"Why are you telling me this now? Drew, what's wrong?"

"My brother's name was Dorian...," said Drew quietly. May stayed silent as her eyes widened in horror. It seemed that Ally, Soledad and the rest could not hear what Drew was saying.

"Dorian? The Contest Champion that Charlie just mentioned?"

"Yes. He was my brother, and a Rampardos he was training killed him. And that Rampardos is the Rampardos that's standing before us now."

He snarled the last few words as he stood up straight. His mind was clearer now; Harley had abused a Cranidos, the Cranidos lost trust in humans and later evolved, so Harley had to give it away. The Rampardos had been given to Dorian of La Rousse, and had ended up killing the co-ordinator.

Drew strode up to Jay and Charlie and stood between them. Jay opened his mouth to say something, but Drew had had already released a Pokemon from his Pokeball.

"Roselia!"

The Petal Pokemon twirled onto the ground, landing gracefully. She turned to face the Rampardos.

"Tell me, Roselia," said Drew quietly. "Do you recognize that Rampardos?"

Roselia stared wide-eyed at the monstrosity that stood before her. Memories of the day she'd met Drew flashed before her dark eyes.

"Rosel! Rose, Rosel Roselia!"

And, without warning, she thrust the Rampardos with her small body.



"Rosel! Roselia Roselia Rosel Rosel Rosel! ROSELIA!"

Tears were pouring out of Roselia's eyes as she repeatedly attacked the Rampardos, who stared at the small Petal Pokemon in curiosity.

Drew understood why Roselia was crying, and attacking the Rampardos. He understood what she was saying.

"_Why!? Why did you kill Master's brother!? Why did you make my Master sad?! Why did you do that!? WHY!? I HATE YOU FOR DOING THAT TO DREW!"_

"Ugh, dispose of that annoying creature, Rampardos," spat Harley. Rampardos nodded, and with one swing of its tail, it sent Roselia flying through the air.

But Roselia was soon attacking Rampardos again.

Jay seemed to realize what was happening. He knew that Drew was familiar with the Rampardos, and even though they greatly disliked each other, Jay felt like he should help Drew.

"Houndoom! Use Flame Blitz! Charizard, use Flamethrower!"

Charlie joined in. "Dragonair, use Dragonbreath! Stantler, use Stomp!"

Harley continued to smirk. "There's no point. Rampardos, use Hyper Beam!"

There was a flash and an explosion, and soon, every Pokemon and human except for Rampardos and Harley had been thrown across the room.

"Soledad!" screamed Gary, as he watched the red-haired girl crash into the banisters of the staircase. He ran to her side. "Soledad, are you alright?"

Soledad wearily stood up with the help of Gary. "Yeah, I'm fine. I think the baby is, too."

Gary's face fell into relief. "Oh, thank God."

Ally turned to face Harley, her face twisted with anger.

"You bastard!" she screeched at Harley. "You almost killed your own damn kid! You're sick, Harley!"

So angry that Harley had hurt her friend, Ally grabbed her handbag and yanked out two Pokeballs.

"Spoink, Empoleon, come on!"

"Spoink Spoink!" (Weehee, finally, I get to battle!)

The small pig-like Pokemon hopped happily around its companion, Empoleon.

"Empoleon, Spoink, do all you can to bring that Rampardos down!" shouted Ally, her high-lighted hair swaying around her enraged face.

Empoleon immediately powered up the strongest Water Pulse it could create, while Spoink charged up an amazing Hyper Beam.

Another explosion; the Water Pulse and the Hyper Beam clashed against Rampardos's Zen Headbutt.



Drew, Jay, Charlie, Ally and Harley continued to battle. Every few seconds, another Pokemon collapsed onto the ground, but they always got up again and went back to attacking Harley and his Rampardos. But it seemed that the Rampardos was invincible; it showed no visible signs of damage.

There was another clash of attacks, and the ground rumbled again. It was a miracle that the people in the ballroom next door weren't worried, or coming through the doors to see what was happening.

Soledad fell to the ground again as it shook. Gary immediately helped her to her feet again. When he was sure she was alright, he turned around to face the battle scene.

"I'm going to help them. Come on, Umbreon."

The Umbreon that Gary had released earlier stood beside him, and nodded. Gary threw out Arcanine's Pokeball, and ran to join the fight.

Only Soledad and May remained on the sidelines. May had been standing, horrified, for the last few minutes. Her face had drained of all its blood; she looked almost ghostly, like Jay did. Her eyes were closed as she tried to block out the scene before her.

'Why...?' she said silently in her petrified mind. 'Why are they battling? It won't make anything better... Why? Why won't they just stop?'

There was another crash.

'Why is Harley doing this? Why is he hurting everyone?'

"USE SEISMIC TOSS, RAMPARDOS!"

'Why won't he just forget the past? But why won't Jay and Charlie forget too? Why are they so angry? It was so long ago... Why?'

Rampardos roared as it dropped a massive boulder down on Dragonair.

'He's hurting my friends...'

There was an agonising scream from Dragonair as it collapsed onto the ground – but there was another scream. A scream of a human, a male human. May opened her eyes to see what was happening.

Dragonair was sprawled on the floor, its beautifully serpent-like body unmoving beneath the boulder that crushed its delicate frame. But another body was under the boulder...

May felt sick. Under the boulder was an unconscious Charlie, his arm crushed by the great stone.

"Charlie!? _Charlie!" _screeched a

'Harley's hurt his brothers... both of his brothers...'

While Harley had bodily abused Charlie, he'd emotionally struck Jay. Jay knelt beside Charlie.

"Move this boulder!" he said in a hoarse voice. His Charizard nodded, and proceeded to move the boulder off Charlie's arm and Dragonair's body.



"See what happens when you cross me?" shrieked Harley. "See, Jay? You tried to kill me, and here's your payback! I'll make you suffer; first I'll kill those closest to you, and then I'll kill you – a slow and painful death, brother!"

And the attacking started again.

May just couldn't take it. Why couldn't anyone see that the fighting was pointless? Charlie had been dragged to the side of the hall by Jay, who'd returned back to the battle once he'd made sure that his brother was alright. Another scream, another crash; who'd fallen this time? May saw Ally stumble back to her feet, clutching her wrist.

"Empoleon, use Water Pulse!" screeched the girl.

Why won't they stop fighting?

"Rampardos, use Zen Headbutt."

Why won't they stop battling?

Crash; Empoleon had collapsed to the ground. Harley laughed in a horrible cold manner.

Why won't they just _stop!?_

"_STOP!_"

Her scream echoed through the hall, causing the battle to cease for a few moments. Everyone turned around to stare, except for Charlie, who was still deeply unconscious in the corner of the hall.

Drew got up from the ground where Rampardos's tail had thrown him there a few seconds earlier. His black tuxedo was covered in scorch marks from the raging battle, and torn in many places. There was a gash on his cheekbone; blood was steadily dripping down his cheek like scarlet tears.

While he'd been battling, Drew had had a fierce look in his eye, a determined face. But now, that expression was gone. It had been replaced by an expression of slight confusion, but mainly sadness.

"May... of course, we've been so stupid," he said quietly, breaking the silence. May stared at him, tears falling from her sapphire eyes.

"Why couldn't you see, Drew?" she said. "Why couldn't you see that the battling wasn't helping anyone? You were so stupid, Drew! This battle should have never happened! Look what it did to Charlie! Look at what it did to Ally's wrist!"

She turned to face Harley, who was staring at May with a slightly bewildered expression.

"Why did you come here, Harley? Why can't you let go of your past? Why can't you live in the present? I can't imagine how it must feel for you, being almost killed by your sibling, and losing your parents at such a young age... but why did you resort to battling?"

She turned to Jay, whose white shirt was blood-stained on the sleeve.

"Why, Jay? Why did you fall into this trap of battling? Why didn't you just walk away? You could've avoided all of this... You could've stopped Charlie from hurting his arm just by walking away!"

Jacob stared at May, his eyes filled with emotion.



"I'm so sorry, May... I didn't think... oh God..."

He spun on his heel and rushed to Charlie's side, whose eyes were still closed.

"I'm so sorry, Charlie, I should've stopped the battle..." he said. "Oh for shit's sake, will someone please call an ambulance!?"

Gary seemed to snap out of his dazed expression.

"Y-yeah!" he stuttered, sprinting up the staircase and disappearing through a door.

Ally ventured closer to Charlie and Jay, and gasped.

"Oh God, I didn't realise his arm was so badly injured," she said in horror, staring at the mangled right arm of the red-haired boy.

"We were so caught up in that stupid battle," muttered Jay. Ally sat down beside him and rested her sore hand on his shoulder.

"He'll be alright," she said softly. "He's your brother, and he won't be down for long."

Jay smiled faintly at Ally.

Harley, who had been standing still since May had stopped the fight, raised his hand that clutched Rampardos's Pokeball and there was a flash, before Rampardos disappeared.

"You're right, May," he said quietly, not looking into anyone's eyes. "I should let go of the past. It was my fault, anyway, that Jacob and Charlie hated me so much. I shouldn't have hurt them so much, just so I could relieve some of the pain I felt inside..."

Harley sighed, and looked up at May.

"I'm gonna be leaving now."

He turned to Jay, who was staring dumbstruck at his eldest brother.

"Bye, Jacob. I'm sorry. You have no idea how sorry I am. I let my dark feelings get the best of me. Tell Charlie that I said goodbye, and that I understand if he could never forgive me for doing such awful things to him, and you. See you."

The violet-haired young man slowly walked up the staircase, tears steadily falling from his eyes. Jay found it hard to restrain himself from crying, too. He slowly got up from the ground beside Charlie.

"Harley."

Harley's name echoed through the hall.

"If you give that Rampardos to someone else, far from us, I'll let you come to the hospital with Charlie. I want you to say goodbye to him properly."

Harley froze on the staircase. He slowly turned around to face his youngest sibling, who stood on the bottom stair.

"A-are you sure?" he said in disbelief.



"Just shut up and get rid of that Rampardos so we can go to the damn hospital. I don't want that Rampardos anywhere near me," snapped Jay. "I can hear the ambulance sirens outside."

It was true; there was a low whine of sirens outside as the ambulance approached the Goldrenrod Hall.

Harley smiled at his brother; a true smile, not the usual smirk he usually gave to people. Jay didn't return the smile, but he didn't grimace either.

Harley dug into his pockets and took out the ball that restrained Rampardos. He walked over to Drew.

"Here, Drew. Take it. You're from La Rousse, aren't you? I want you to take it back to the forest where I found it. I'll go to La Rousse someday, too. I want to find out more about Dorian, the guy that was killed by Rampardos. I heard that his family still lives in La Rousse, and I want to pay my respects to Dorian."

Harley pressed the Pokeball into Drew's palm, and walked away without another word.

...

...

Max woke up with a start. He'd just heard a sound from the trees not too far away from where he and his friends were sleeping. He slowly got up from his sleeping bag. Dawn, who had been lying next to him, opened her eyes sleepily.

"Max?" she murmured, sitting up as she rubbed her eyes. "What's wrong?"

Max put a finger to his lips, indicating Dawn to keep quiet.

He swiftly got to his feet and silently scurried to the trees where he'd heard the strange rustling noise that had disturbed his sleep.

He paused and listened again; there was another rustle. Could it be a Pokemon? But there aren't a lot of Pokemon on the freezing mountain peak of Snowpoint.

"Who's there?" he said lowly to the trees. "I know someone's there, you better come out."

Max heard a sigh from the leaves, and after some more rustling noises, he saw a figure emerge from the trees.

As the shadows stood in the moonlight, Max saw some of the person's features. It was a boy, definitely, who was around Ash's age, perhaps a bit younger. He had light violet hair with a silvery touch, and cold heartless eyes. He stared steely at Max.

"What're you doing?" demanded the boy. Max blinked.

"Uh, shouldn't _I _be the one that's asking that?" he said. The boy scoffed.

"Oh, I'm sorry," he said in a sarcastic manner. "I forgot that it's against the law to sit in a tree."

"I just wanted to know why you were in that tree, that's all," replied Max, frowning. "I thought someone was spying on us or something, it was kinda' freaking me out."

The boy snorted. "Why would anyone want to spy on a wimp like you?"



Max immediately flared up. "I'm not a wimp!"

"If you're not a wimp, then why were you scared of someone sitting in a tree?"

"I wasn't _scared_!" protested Max.

"Max? Who're you talking to?"

Max spun around, and so did the violet-haired boy next to him. They saw Dawn walking towards them.

"Max, I heard you yelling-," she began, but she stopped in her tracks. She gaped at the violet-haired boy beside Max.

"Hey there, Doris," smirked the boy.

"Ok, first, the name's _Dawn._ And second," snapped Dawn, "what're you doing here, Paul?"

"That's none of your business, _Dawn_," replied the boy curtly. "I was just sitting in the tree over here, minding my own business when your little boyfriend popped up."

"I am not her boyfriend," growled Max.

"Yeah, who cares," said Paul. "Anyway, if it's alright with wimpy-boy, I'll be sleeping in that tree tonight. I hope I don't scare him again."

And with a smirk, he flaunted off into the shadows again. Dawn stood still for a moment, but then, with a sigh, she called out, "Come back, Paul. You can't sleep there, you'll freeze to death."

There was no reply from the snow-covered trees and bushes.

"Come on, Paul. We have enough room around the fire, and I'm sure Ash won't try to kill you. If you're lucky."

The air was still silent.

"Paul, if you don't come back, I'll get my Piplup to drag you here!"

"As if that weakling would be able to stand up to me."

Paul had re-appeared from the trees, and he stood before Dawn and Max, his arms folded.

"I might as well stay with you," sighed the violet-haired boy. "As long as I don't have to sleep next to Ash or wimpy-boy."

"Don't worry, you can sleep right next to the fire," said Max in a falsely kind voice. He added under his breath, "If we're lucky, you'll burn to death."

Paul glared at Max for a few seconds.

"I can tell we're going to be great friends," said Paul coldly, as he sat down beside the fire.

"Best friends," snapped Max sarcastically, as he slid into his own sleeping bag.



"Oh, just stop it," sighed Dawn. She turned to look at Paul.

"What're you staring at?" demanded Paul.

"Don't you have a sleeping bag, Paul?" asked Dawn.

"No," replied Paul with a scowl. "Sleeping bags are just useless baggage."

"They're not useless," frowned Dawn. "They keep you warm. Here, you can share mine."

She had unzipped her sleeping bag so it opened up like a double-bed duvet. Paul, being caught unawares, was suddenly dragged into the sleeping bag by Dawn. Max let his jaw drop in horror. How could Dawn treat Paul so warmly?

"But Dawn," protested Max suddenly, "you'll be colder now. Here."

He too had unzipped his bag, and he threw it over Dawn (deliberately avoiding Paul) and then snuggling in beside her. Dawn seemed surprised.

"Thanks, Max, I'm a lot warmer now!" she smiled. Max smiled back at her.

"'Night, Dawn," he said.

"See you in the morning!" replied Dawn, laughing quietly. A few minutes later, she'd fallen asleep.

Max glanced at his watch. It was only about nine o clock. He sighed. For some reason, he didn't want to fall asleep while the Paul guy was there.

"So, Wimpy, how did you get to meet these guys?"

Max turned over to face Paul, who was lying on the other side of Dawn.

"If you must know, my sister and I used to travel with Ash and Brock," replied Max. "My sister's gone to the Johto now with her friend, I think. I'm not sure, actually, 'cause I ran away from home."

Paul raised his eyebrows.

"Jeez, I didn't ask for your life story," he said. But he seemed mildly interested. "Why did you run away from your home? That's just stupid."

"My sister wouldn't let me go to the Johto with her," replied Max. "I got annoyed so I came here, to Sinnoh. I met up with Ash, Brock and Dawn a few days ago."

"How old are you, exactly? You do know that it's illegal for kids under ten years old to enter official gym battles, don't you?"

"I'm eleven, actually. I know, I know, I look like an eight or nine year old, so please, keep your insults to yourself. My dad didn't want me to start being a Trainer until I was twelve, for some reason. I think it's because he thought I was weak."

"He was probably right," smirked Paul.

"Oh yeah?" said Max hotly. "What's your story, then?"



"Nothing interesting," replied Paul. "I started to battle that weakling over there called Ash, and now he thinks we're rivals. What an idiot."

"Ash is not an idiot!" said Max. "He's completed the Kanto, Orange, Johto and Hoenn league, and even the Battle Frontier!"

"Whoopdeedoo," replied Paul. "That's just because the people he battled were weak."

"You know what? I really don't like you."

"Good to know."

Max glared at the boy. "Right. I want to battle you. Now."

Paul smirked again. "Fine then. Get up."

The two boys got up from their shared sleeping bags and went over to the clearing beside the trees where Paul and Max had first laid eyes on each other.

"One on one battle," said Paul. Max nodded.

"Kirlia, come on out!"

The snow-white and mint-green Pokemon appeared in a flash.

"Kirlia, Kirl?" (What're we doing out in the snow in the middle of the night? And who's that guy?)

"We're battling, Kirlia."

"Do you actually talk to your Pokemon?" smirked Paul. "How pathetic. Electabuzz, go!"

There was another flash that revealed a yellow and black Pokemon, which bared its sharp teeth at Kirlia.

"And now, we start."

...

...

* * *

djsduhgjdPdfhfjdhirueuhuetghn WHAT!? PAUL IS IN THE STORY!? ZOMFG NO WAAAAAY!

Yep, dear old Shinji-kun has entered the story. Yay for him 8D

Oh, and about Soledad; I just realized something. I've been mis-spelling her name for aaaaages! Whoops, sorry. I'll try and remember to write Solidad now. But if I accidentally write SolEdad, I'm sorry D: I will try my best to write SolIdad now.

Oh, more about Soledad and her baby/Charlie and his crazy arm/the ball in the next chapter. Hah, the people in the ballroom next door to the massive fight must all be deaf. I mean, could they not hear Charlie's screaming/Harley's creepy maniac laughing/massive BOOMS and KABOOMS and KAKAKAKABOOOMS? Bleh.

Reviews would be nice 8D It's amazing, this fanfic has 222 reviews. Awesome or what?

By the way, I'm sorry if the battle scene is very confusing. But if you read it over (and over and over and over..) it does make some sense :D

* * *


	19. Chapter 19 : The Garden's Fountain

_**ZAWMMYFOGGYGAWDS I JUST WANT TO SAY THANK YOU FOR THE 23 REVIEWS!!111 Duuuuuuuuude, I have, like, almost 250 reviews ;O THANK YOU TO ALL OF MY FREAKIN' LOVELY REVIEWERS! I LOVE YOU ALLLLL AND YOU DESERVE COOKIES BUT I DON'T HAVE ANY COOKIES D:**_

_**Le Disclaimer; **Unfourtanate has nothing to do with the owningness of Pokemon. She doesn't own it, she never has, and she never will. If she did own it, it would be called _Pokemon - Drew And May _because she says so. Anyway, Pokemon belongs to a random dude in Japanland, and I think he's called Satoshi or summink._

I HAVE POSTED THE NEXT CHAPTER IN JUST UNDER THREE WEEKS! OH MY GOD I AM SO SUPER-AWESOME. I posted it in less than six months, which is a record for me! Ahh I am so happy and proud of myself.

Anyway, sorry for people who don't like Paul/Shinji D: I just like adding characters into my stories to make it more interesting. I think that my fanfic would be rather dull if it just circled around Drew and May and their lovingnessosity. Think how boring the story would be without Harley/Charlie/Jay/Dawn/Paul/Max/Brock/Solidad/Gary/Ally/Annabelle/Spoink! Ok, the story is odd enough without Spoink. Yeah.

Anyway, a certain Brain Frontier makes a guest appearance here. I wonder if you can guess who? He's gay-looking, anyway. That's a biiiig clue.

* * *

The ambulance eventually arrived at Goldenrod Hall. Three medics had hurried up to Charlie.

"He's going to be alright, isn't he?" asked Jay quietly to a medic. The medic shrugged.

"It's hard to tell. I can't be certain, but his arm may be amputated," replied the man. Jay felt the world crash around him.

"He'll be fine, Jay, just wait," said Harley quickly. The medic turned to look at Harley.

"Who're you, then?"

"I'm Charlie's older brother, and Jay's his youngest brother," replied Harley. "Although I really don't think I should go to the hospital with-,"

"You're coming with us and that's final," snapped Jay. Harley fell silent again. The medic shrugged, and turned to Ally.

"So, what's wrong with you, then?" he said gruffly. He'd had a long day, and finding a bunch of kids with broken bones was just making the day even longer.

"My wrist is broken," replied Ally. She sounded almost cheerful about it. She'd never been to a hospital before, and she was looking forward to getting a cast, preferably a pink one.

"Ok, do you need any help into the ambulance?" asked the medic. Ally shook her head.

"Nah, I'll be fine," she smiled. She looked down at her dress and her face drooped. "I wish the same could be said about my poor dress."

Her shining sapphire dress was scorched in some places, and torn down the sides. She sighed, and made her way through the door. As she struggled to open the double-knobbed door with just one hand, Jay scuttled towards her to help her.

"Thanks, Goth Boy," smiled Ally. She seemed to be using Jay's offensive nickname in a more friendly tone.

"No problem, Hyper Girl," replied Jay with a small smile on his otherwise ghostly face.

Jay had burns down his legs and right arm, so he needed to get checked over in hospital too. He winced as his trousers rubbed against his sore skin as he and Ally walked through the doors. Ally held his hand and squeezed it comfortingly.

Drew and May stood beside the door in a dumbstruck manner.

"Oh my God!" said May in shock. "Jay and Ally!?"

"They just ditched us! Our dates have just gone off together!" said Drew incredulously.

"Wait, what?"

"Dates, May. Don't you remember? The ball...?"

May's eyes widened. "Oh yeah! I almost forgot..."

She looked over at Charlie, who was being carried out of the hall on a stretcher, with his elder brother walking beside him. She was relieved to see that Charlie's eyes seemed to be opening.

"Thank God that everyone's alright," sighed May. "That battle was just awful."

"I'm sorry," said Drew softly. "It was a stupid battle. I let my emotions get the best of me."

May shook her head. "No," she said. "I don't blame you, or anyone else. You only got mad because you saw that Rampardos... your memories must be horrific."

Drew nodded slowly, but said, "But at least I have nice memories of my brother, too. Like the time when he won the Hoenn Grand Festival and he let me hold the trophy... I dropped it on his head."

May laughed. "Your brother must've been really amazing, Drew. And someday, you will win the Festival too."

"Oh God, May, stop talking, you're getting too emotional!" said Drew, in mock horror. May playfully hit his arm.

"Shut up," she said, grinning. "Anyway, let's see how Solidad and Gary are doing."

She turned to talk to them, but immediately stopped.

"...Or not."

Solidad and Gary were in each other's arms, kissing very passionately. May felt slightly awkwardly, and hurriedly scuttled back to Drew, who was laughing at her horrified expression.

"They looked like they were _eating_ each other!" she exclaimed.

"You're so immature, May," replied Drew. "Come on. Let's go remind them that we have a ball to go to."

Drew marched over to the couple and prodded Gary's back, but he got no reaction. He poked him again, a bit harder this time. Still no sign of reacting. Drew grunted, and kicked Gary in the shin.

"Argh!"

The older boy turned away from his surprised kissing partner to face Drew.

"What!?" he hissed, peeved that Drew had ruined his moment.

"Ball. Now."

Drew merely walked away and back to May.

"Seeing as we've lost our dates," he said to her, "we might as well go with each other."

May smiled. "Yeah. Come on then!"

She grabbed Drew's hand and practically dragged him through the doors that led to the ballroom.

...

...

"Kirlia, use Psychic!"

"Electabuzz, dodge it and use Thundershock!"

The battle had been going on for over half an hour, and neither of the two boys seemed to be weakening.

"Kirlia, use Psychic again!"

"Electabuzz, dodge and use Volt Tackle!!"

But Kirlia was too quick for Electabuzz; the black and yellow Pokemon caught the Psychic full in the face. Electabuzz gave a groan of pain as it got thrust to the ground.

"Now, Kirlia, use Hypnosis!"

"Kiiiirl...IA!"

Electabuzz, who'd managed to stumble onto its feet, collapsed to the snowy floor again.

"Electabuzz, wake up!" yelled Paul. "Move, Electabuzz, move! You useless Pokemon!"

Max frowned. "Kirlia, use Dream Eater!"

Kirlia's eyes flashed an eerie red, and suddenly, Electabuzz's slumbering body started to light up as well.

"Damnit," growled Paul. Kirlia was sucking in Electabuzz's power.

"Good job, Kirlia!" grinned Max.

"It's not over yet, Wimpy. Electabuzz, wake _up_!"

Paul's harsh tone of voice seemed to jerk the Electabuzz from its forced sleep.

"Elect? Elec..?"

"Electabuzz, use Thunder!" commanded Paul over Electabuzz's confused cries.

"EeeeeeeeeLECTABUZZ!"

"Kirlia use Teleport!"

The delicate little Pokemon managed to disappear just in time as the Thunder hit the ground. Paul grunted in frustration. He hadn't expected for Max to be such a highly-skilled Trainer.

"Kirlia, use Psychic!"

Paul was jerked back into reality as he watched his Electabuzz get slammed to the ground again.

"Now, use Confuse Ray!"

But Paul was too quick. "Use Reflect, Electabuzz!"

A shining wall appeared before Electabuzz, and Kirlia's Confuse Ray got bounced off it and straight into Kirlia's face.

Max cursed under his breath.

"Kirlia! Are you alright?"

Kirlia spun around for a while, but soon stood up normally. It seemed to have a rather dazed look in its eye, but Max just assumed it was the after-effect of being Confused.

"Kirlia, use Psychic!"

Unfortunately, Kirlia was still Confused. Its eyes glowed red again, but it didn't direct its attack at Electabuzz.

"_KIRLIA, DON'T_!"

But it was too late; the Confused Pokemon had attacked Paul.

"Kirlia, return!" shouted Max. Kirlia disappeared.

Max hurried over to where Paul lay on the ground, groaning as he tried to sit up.

"Oh my God, are you alright?" asked Max in a panicky manner.

"Get away from me, Wimpy, I'm fine," muttered Paul. "I just hurt my ankle, that's all."

He attempted to get onto his feet, but he stumbled and fell back onto the ground.

"I think you've broken it, or at least sprained it," said Max. He sighed. "Come on then, lean on me. I'll take you back to where everyone else is."

"I'm fine, I can walk on my own," grumbled Paul, before collapsing to the ground again with a groan of pain.

"You are _not _fine," said Max. "Now then, if you don't let me help you, I'll get my Swinub to drag you instead."

"Oh, fine."

Paul leaned on Max's shoulder as he staggered onto his feet.

"Put your weight on me, and use your other foot to move," instructed Max. Paul did as he was told, and soon, the two boys were stumbling back to the campsite. Unfortunately, Paul lost his balance and fell to the ground with a loud thud, right next to Ash Ketchum.

"Uh-wha!?"

Ash had bolted upright from his sleeping bag, and blindly looked around.

"What was that noise? Brock, Dawn, Max? Are you alright?"

"It's alright, Ash," said Max in a whispered voice. "Just go back to sleep, I just dropped my, uh, book, that's all."

Ash nodded. He was obviously still half-asleep, or he would've realized that Paul was sprawled on the ground beside him.

"Oh, ok. 'Night, Max."

The black-haired boy disappeared into his sleeping bag once more. Max sighed in relief. He wasn't sure how he and Dawn were going to explain to Brock and Ash about Paul's random appearance.

"Ok, Paul, get into your bit of the sleeping bag. We have to think of an excuse for your messed up ankle."

"For once, I agree."

"Ok, I have one; you got up in the middle of the night, wanting a piss, but you fell over and twisted your ankle."

"I am not going to speak of my urine habits, thank you," replied Paul coldly.

"Fine then. Say that you hurt your ankle yesterday, and that you've been hiding it from us."

"Fine.."

There was a silence between the boys.

"So, did I win?" asked Max hopefully.

"Go die in hell," replied Paul. "That battle was either a draw, or your loss."

"What!?"

"You returned Kirlia before I returned Electabuzz, so therefore I win, really."

"Fine then."

Max scowled, and suddenly, he snatched Dawn's sleeping body away from Paul and dragged her to his side of the shared sleeping bags.

"I get Dawn now. Hah."

Paul shrugged. "You can keep Doreen."

"Her name's Dawn, and you know it," snapped Max. "I know you like her. I can tell. I've seen my sister and her friend too many times, and I know when someone has a crush on another. You can't fool me. Stay away from Dawn."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," replied Paul coolly.

"As if," scoffed Max.

"So, you have a crush on her, Wimpy? How pathetic."

"Shut up," grumbled Max.

"Well, what would you do if _Dawn _suddenly... disappeared?"

As Paul said these words, Max felt Dawn slip from his side. He bolted up and saw that Paul had moved Dawn back to his side.

"Wimpy, there's no point getting frustrated over this girl," said Paul. "If you want to get stronger in battles, you better keep away from bonding with anyone."

"Why should I listen to you, _Limpy_?" snapped Max. Paul froze.

"What did you call me?"

"Nothing, Limpy," replied Max coolly. "Anyway, I'm allowed to be friends with anyone I like. And if you don't have a crush on Dawn, why do you have your arm around her?"

Paul immediately let his arm fall limp.

"You're such an inquisitive weirdo," he said. He pushed Dawn away. "Here, you can keep her."

He then turned his back on Max, who felt his hatred for Paul grow stronger.

...

...

"Monsieur Drew! Monsieur Gary! Mademoiselle Solidad et Mademoiselle May! Where 'ave you been!?"

Before the four Co-ordinators could look around the vast ballroom, Annabelle had pounced on them. Her silvery-blue hair cascaded around her face as her equally silver dress fluttered around her.

"Hey Annabelle," said May very reluctantly.

"Drew!" gasped Annabelle, completely ignoring May. "What 'appened to your face?!"

"Eh? Oh yeah," said Drew, feeling the dried blood on his face. "I, uh, cut myself by accident while I was... shaving."

Annabelle raised her perfectly arched eyebrows. "What about your clothes? They're covered in scorch marks!"

"I – uh..."

"Long story, Annabelle. Jay and Ally won't be able to come here," added Solidad. Drew nodded at her gratefully.

"What?!"

Annabelle's expression of worry speedily changed into a furious one.

"Where are they!?" she demanded.

"They're in hospital," said Gary coolly.

"'Ospital!?" spluttered Annabelle incredulously. "Why 'aven't I been informed?"

"Because it just happened," said Gary slowly, as if talking to a two year old. "Now then, where's Madame Marie? I suppose we should tell her that Ally and Jay can't compete tomo-,"

"No!" said May quickly. "Don't do that. They'll be back for the final contest, I'm sure of it."

"Well, if you insist," shrugged Gary.

Annabelle sighed in an infuriated manner. "Mama won't be pleased that two of the Co-ordinators aren't 'ere! She invited the most famous Co-ordinators to this ball just to inspire you all. And now they ruined it all by flaunting off to 'ospital"

"They didn't do it on purpose," snapped Drew. Annabelle looked horrified.

"Drew! I didn't mean to offend you!" she said quickly.

"Too late."

Drew, still holding May's hand tightly, brushed past the dumbstruck French _madameoiselle_, and into the main section of the ballroom.

It was such an amazing sight for the two young Co-ordinators. The ball room was so vast that they could barely see the other wall on the other side. The polished floor was made out of shining silver, and the walls were covered in small beads of crystals and diamonds, and the massive window that took up most of the east side of the hall revealed the beautiful garden outside, which shimmered in the moonlight. On the west side of the hall, there was a large stage, but it was hidden behind silvery curtains.

"Jesus," breathed Gary, who'd appeared beside them. "All of Gramp's Pokemon could easily fit in here! Even Ash's Tauros! It's so freakin' _huge_!"

But what astounded Drew and May was the sheer amount of people in the ballroom, all wearing magnificent ball gowns and suits.

"They're all Co-ordinators!" said May, wide-eyed.

Her words were true; hundreds of Co-ordinators stood around them, chatting to each other, laughing companionably, sipping dark red wine and dancing elegantly to the beautiful music which was seeping through the ballroom.

"Look," said Solidad, who had also appeared. "They have their Pokemon out, too!"

And so they were. Beside each and every Co-ordinator was one of their Pokemon, their prized one.

"Oh God," breathed May. "Look at them... Gardevoire, Espeon, Dragonair... such beautiful Pokemon!"

"D'you think we're allowed to bring ours out?" said Drew, turning to Gary. Gary shrugged.

"Hell, I'm gonna do it anyway!" he grinned. "Umbreon, get your butt out here and look elegant!"

Solidad laughed. "Yeah, I'll do it too."

She reached into her small beaded bag and took out a Pokeball.

"Slowking, come on out!"

There were two flashes, and a dark cat-like Pokemon and a large pink Pokemon stood before them.

"My, what beautiful Pokemon!"

The voice was familiar to May, and only May knew who it belonged to.

"Tucker!"

The violet-haired man grinned at May.

"Ah, I remember you!" he said, clicking his fingers. "Mm... May, right?"

Dome Ace Tucker hadn't changed his hairstyle, but thankfully, he had abandoned his fairy-like outfit. He was wearing a normal black tuxedo now, with a white rose poking from one of the pockets.

"Yeah!" smiled May. "Great to see you again, Tucker! But what're you doing here? Aren't you a Frontier Brain?"

"Alas, no," sighed Tucker, his face drooping. "I've been replaced by a boy named Ritchie, from the Kanto region."

"Ritchie?" Gary spoke up. "A kid with brown hair, and a Pikachu?"

"Yes," sighed Tucker. "He's replaced me as the Dome Ace."

"Oh, I'm so sorry," said May gently. "So, are you a Co-ordinator now?"

"Training to be one," said Tucker. He seemed to be cheery again. "Madame Marie is an old family friend, and she said she's willing to give me some tips. I came here to talk to her."

A Salamence beside Tucker growled in a purring manner.

"That's an amazing Salamence," commented Drew, nodding at the dragon-like creature. Tucker grinned.

"Thanks," he said. "Salamence is my strongest Pokemon, and hopefully, I'll be able to enter contests with it."

"Hang on," said May slowly, peering around. "Where are your fans?"

Like Drew, Tucker had been a victim of fan girls. Unlike Drew, however, Tucker adored the attention he got from his overexcited fans.

Tucker's face drooped once more.

"They've moved on from me," he said in a depressing manner. "They're addicted to the Ritchie kid now."

"You can have mine," said Drew half-jokingly.

Tucker turned to look at Drew. "You have fan girls?"

"Sadly, yes."

A grin formed on Tucker's face again.

"Ah! So if you're a Co-ordinator, there's a chance of getting adoring fans?"

Drew did a facial expression that only May could read. It was an expression of 'Oh-my-God-how-retarded-is-this-guy?'

"Uh, well..."

Gary piped up, "I used to have fans too, you know!"

Solidad stared at him. "Really?"

Gary nodded in a somewhat immature manner. "Yeah! I dunno where they went, though, I lost them somewhere in Johto, the last time I was here."

"Maybe I'll lose mine too," mused Drew hopefully. He turned back to Tucker.

"Tucker, if you want your fans back, I advise that you change your hair."

As Tucker's face changed to a horrified one, Gary laughed, "Harsh!"

"M-my hair?" stuttered Tucker. He raised his hands to touch one of his bizarre ponytails. "What's wrong with my hair?!"

"It's purple. And in pigtails."

Tucker gaped at Drew. "B-but you have green hair! That's just... weird!"

"Apparently, girls like it," shrugged Drew. "Anyway, mine isn't in pigtails."

At first, Tucker looked as if he was going to punch Drew, and then run away in tears, but he eventually managed to smile.

"I suppose I need a new hairstyle," he said. "Ok, Greenie, I'll change my hair."

"Good on you, Purplie."

"Ahem!"

A delicate cough echoed through the hall. Everyone stopped doing whatever they had been doing, and searched the ballroom for the strange noise.

"_Ahem_! If I could 'ave your attention, please!"

May grunted and rolled her eyes as she turned to the large stage on the side of the ballroom. Its silver curtains had been drawn back now, and Annabelle stood on the polished stage, her silvery-blue hair shimmering.

"Bonsoir, everyone! I 'ope you're all having a good time!" she said sweetly. "Me and Acide Pluie are 'ere to introduce you all to the final contestants for the Contest!"

It was then May realized that there was a small, purple mud-like Pokemon sitting on Annabelle's shoulder – a Grimer. But the Grimer was incredibly miniature; it was obviously still a baby.

"May," hissed Drew, "We're going to have to go on the stage!"

May blinked. "Huh?"

"You're a finalist, you idiot," snapped Drew. "Annabelle is about to introduce us!"

"Oh!"

May had been so interested in Acide Pluie, she hadn't been listening properly to what Annabelle had been saying.

"Unfortunately," Annabelle was saying, "Two of our contestants could not be 'ere tonight. But luckily, the other four are 'ere! I shall firstly introduce Solidad of Pewter City, last year's winner of the Kanto Grand Festival!"

There was a roaring applause, mainly from a gang of male Co-ordinators who were standing near to where Drew, May and Gary were. Solidad grinned at them, and made her way to the stage, Slowking closely following her.

"Solidad," said Annabelle, as Solidad reached the stage, "'Ow does it feel to be a Grand Festival Champion?"

"It's awesome, but there are much better Co-ordinators out there," said Solidad, smiling. "I entered this contest to find those strong Co-ordinators, and to earn more experience."

The audience applauded (and some of the male members wolf-whistled), as Solidad went to stand on the side of the stage with her Slowking, who had a baffled expression on its face for some reason.

"Is Slowking one of your most prized Pokemon?"

"No," said Solidad. "All of my Pokemon are my most prized ones!"

The audience clapped again, and there were a lot of whistling.

"Thank you, Solidad!" said Annabelle sweetly. "And now, our second finalist! Gary of Pallet Town!"

Drew heard Gary grunt beside him.

"For God's sake," muttered the auburn-haired boy. "I honestly can't be bothered to do this."

"Get your butt up there," hissed Drew back. Gary sighed, and beckoned to his Umbreon. The twosome clambered onto the stage, and Gary shrugged his shoulders to show he had no idea what to say.

"So, Monsieur Gary, for 'ow long 'ave you been Co-ordinating?" asked Annabelle.

"This is my third or fourth contest, can't remember," said Gary dully. "I've won two contests, anyway."

"Impressive!" said Annabelle, fluttering her long eyelashes. She had obviously gotten over Drew (who'd snapped at her earlier), and was interested in Gary now.

"And how long have you had your Umbreon?"

"Two or three years."

There was an awkward silence.

"Well, thank you, Monsieur Gary!"

Annabelle fluttered her eyelashes once more. But as Gary made his way to where Solidad stood, he murmured into Annabelle's ear, "I'm taken."

And to prove this, he pecked Solidad on the cheek once he was close enough to her. Annabelle looked outraged, and there was some disapproving groans from the male fanclub Solidad had suddenly aqquired.

"Well, erm, our third finalist is Drew of La Rousse!" said Annabelle, slightly flustrered.

"What is this," muttered Drew to May, "Some sort of cheesy interview?"

May tittered, and shoved Drew to the stage.

"Bonsoir, Monsieur Drew!" greeted Annabelle in an overly-friendly manner, once Drew had hauled himself to the microphone. "Don't you 'ave a Pokemon to show us?"

"Oh, yeah," said Drew. Although he wasn't in the mood for being on stage, he still had a rather smooth charm. Some of the younger female Co-ordinators in the ballroom felt themselves grow hot.

Drew reached for his belt, and grabbed any Pokeball that wasn't Roselia's; Roselia was still too exhausted from her battle.

"Ah, Monsieur Drew, what Pokemon will you be- _OH MY GOD WHAT IS THAT!?_"

Annabelle's shriek was drowned by an ear-piercing roar.

"Rampar!"

The dinosaur-like Pokemon had appeared on the stage, shrieking like there was no tomorrow. It swung its great tail, and stomped its vast feet. The people in the ballroom all gasped in terror, and there was some screaming.

Drew cursed loudly. He hadn't meant to release the killer of his brother from its Pokeball; he thought he'd chosen Absol's Pokeball.

"Rampardos, return!" he shouted, and almost as quickly it had appeared, Rampardos was gone.

Annabelle was comforting a shaken up Acide Pluie, who was shivering on Annabelle's shoulder.

"Monsieur Drew," said Annabelle, frowning, as she turned to Drew. "I do 'ope you can keep that Pokemon under better control. You could've 'urt someone!"

Drew didn't say a word. He gave an apologetic look to the audience, and then grabbed another Pokeball.

"Absol," he said, "Come out."

There was another flash, and the snow-white Pokemon appeared on the stage. Absol gave a little growl of greeting to Drew.

"What a beautiful Absol," smiled Annabelle, bending over to gently pet Absol, who seemed slightly disgruntled.

"DREW'S THE BEAUTIFUL ONE!" shrieked a random fan girl from the audience.

There was an awkward silence. Annabelle coughed to break the quietness.

"Erm, so Monsieur Drew, how many ribbons have you won so far?"

"Just one, and I don't feel that I deserved that ribbon. But I won it, I suppose," said Drew. He flicked a stray hair from his eyes, causing many female Co-ordinators to shriek and faint. Drew heard May grunt, "For God's sake, how did these fan girls get in here!?" to Tucker, and he felt a small smile flickering on his face.

"Ah, so how did you get interested in Co-ordinating?"

In the audience, May froze. Although Drew hadn't told her yet, she had a feeling that his deceased brother was the one that had introduced him to Co-ordinating; Drew was sensitive about his brother.

Drew remained silent, staring at Annabelle, yet his eyes were glazed.

"My brother," he said finally. "My brother was a Co-ordinator."

"Was?" inquired Annabelle. "Isn't he still a Co-ordinator?"

"No."

There was an awkward silence. Drew sighed, and flicked his hair out of his eyes. The swift flick suddenly caused an uproar of squeals from the fan girls.

"Well, thank you, Monsieur Drew," said Annabelle quickly. She still felt somewhat awkward. Drew didn't smile at her. He flicked his hair again, and walked off the stage to Gary and Solidad.

"C'mon, Absol," he muttered to his snow-white companion.

"Absol Abs?" (Are you OK, Drew?)

"I'm fine," replied the emerald-haired boy quietly, as he stood next to Gary.

"Abs." (Fine then.)

"And last, but not least," Annabelle was saying over the microphone, "is May, of Petalburg City!"

"You're a finalist is the contest!?" spluttered Tucker to May. He had obviously thought that May was just one of the many random Co-ordinators, like him.

"Yep," said May vaguely. She was still worrying about Drew; she had never seen him act so unlike himself on stage before. His hair flicks had been done half-heartedly, and his usual smirk had been absent from his face, even before Annabelle had reminded him of Dorian, and before he'd accidentally released Rampardos from its Pokeball.

'I don't blame him for feeling down,' thought May to herself, as she made her way to the stage, ignoring Tucker's yelps of, "Why didn't you _tell _me you were a finalist!?"

'He must be feeling awful after that battle with the brothers, and seeing the killer of his brother, and then having to talk about his brother in front of an audience in the space of a few moments must've been horrible to him. He must have such dark memories...'

May climbed up the stairs that led to the stage. Annabelle smiled at her, but her smile revealed almost every pearly white tooth she had in her mouth, making her look as if she wanted to bite May.

"Ah, May," said Annabelle in a horribly sweet voice, "Do you have a Pokemon to show us?"

"Yep," said May, rather vaguely again. She reached into her black velvet handbag, and took out a Pokeball.

"Tentaaaaah!"

The one-of-a-kind Pokemon glided around the stage, squealing in great delight, for it hadn't been out of its Pokeball for a while.

"Ah, it's your unique Tentasha!" commented Annabelle. Acide Pluie sniffed Tentasha curiously.

"Grimer Grime?" (You're a Poison type?)

"Tenta!" (Yeah!)

"Grime!" (Awesome!)

"Acide Pluie seems to like your Tentasha," said Annabelle, and May was surprised to see that Annabelle had a friendly look on her face.

"Tentasha's a very, and I mean _very _cheerful Pokemon," laughed May, just as Tentasha started to randomly dance and squeal in delight.

"I can see that," said Annabelle, tittering. "For how long have you had your Tentasha?"

"Well, Tentie only evolved about two weeks ago," mused May. "But I caught Tentacruel on the crossing from Hoenn to Johto."

"So Tentasha is a new Co-ordinating Pokemon? Impressive, you've taught your Tentasha very quickly."

"Thanks," grinned May. She turned to Tentasha and hugged it tightly, causing a few people to go "awww," at the closeness of the Co-ordinator and Pokemon.

"Well, thank you, May," said Annabelle. "And you too, Tentasha! And to everyone else!"

Drew smiled faintly at May as she approached. Tentie was still on the stage, whizzing around for no apparent reason; the people in the ballroom were all chuckling at it, while Annabelle was half-heartedly attempting to stop it; she was having too much fun watching Tentasha zoom about.

"Hey," greeted Drew quietly, as the four Co-ordinators made their way down the stairs back to their spot next to Tucker.

"Drew, are you alright?" asked May softly.

"I'll be ok," replied Drew. "It's just that so much has happened tonight. Charlie getting his arm hurt, Ally breaking her wrist, Harley trying to kill his brothers, and to make things worse, I'm the owner of my brother's murderer."

"Yeah," agreed May, sighing as the music in the ballroom began again, and Annabelle disappeared off the stage to play with Acide Pluie. "But you could release Rampardos into the wild, couldn't you?"

"No," said Drew quietly. "I don't want another Dorian incident."

Before May could reply, Tucker had pounced on them.

"Let's DANCE!" he grinned, grabbing May's arm. May tried to object, but Tucker was too determined to dance with one of the contest finalists.

Drew sighed to himself, and wandered off to gaze through the vast window which took up an entire wall. He stared through the window, and at the beautiful garden outside. It was a full moon, and the delicate moonlight shimmered on the dew-covered leaves. There were a few Illumnise and Volbeat fluttering about, causing pretty little lights to appear in the dark sky, and a water fountain stood in the middle of the garden, in the shape of a Muk. The water sparkled as it rippled in the moonlight. Except for the small Illumnise and Volbeat, there was no one else out in the garden.

"It's a beautiful garden, isn't it?" said a soft voice behind Drew. May, who'd managed to escape from Tucker, appeared beside him, and saw down on the cushioned windowsill of the magnificent window.

"Yeah," said Drew. He placed his hand on May's, and held it lightly. "Let's go outside."

May was fairly surprised at Drew's sudden hand-holding, but she smiled nonetheless. Both young Co-ordinators walked out of the ballroom through the glass double-doors which led to the garden.

They sat down on the rim of the basin which surrounded the statue of the Muk, and felt the breeze of the winter Johto air on their faces.

"It's so calm here," said May gently. She turned to Drew. She didn't know why, but she felt a pounding sensation in her heart. Drew's gaze locked with hers, and they slowly edged closer to each other, oblivious of their surroundings as the watery sound of the fountain faded into the night...

"_TEEEEEEEENTASHAAAA!"_

_Splash._

"Tenta Tenta Tentasha! Tenta!"

Tentasha, who had been playing behind the curtains on the stage inside the ballroom, had grown bored, and had decided to go find Drew and May and use them as a source of entertainment. And the moment it saw them out in the garden, sitting on the rim of the fountain, it'd thought that they wanted to play in the fountain. Unfortunately, Tentasha liked to hug Drew as well.

"May... do you mind if I kill Tentasha?"

From the depths of the water fountain, Drew emerged, soaked to the bone, his emerald hair plastered to his face, and a murderous look on his face.

At first, May had tried to help Drew to get out of the fountain, but after a few moments, she had doubled over, laughing uncontrollably, tears in her eyes at the ridiculous sight of Drew.

"May, sorry, I'm going to kill you too."

Before May could stop him, Drew had grabbed her wrist and he pulled her into the freezing cold fountain with him. Tentasha squealed in delight, and jumped in with her, splashing joyfully.

"Drew!" gasped May, shivering in the sudden coldness. "You... you _bastard_!"

"Language, May," smirked Drew. "Now, who's laughing now, hm?"

"Still me!" shrieked May, as she pushed Drew straight into the Muk statue. The water that was spurting out of the Muk's open mouth was now pouring down on Drew's already soaked head.

As May cackled in glee, Drew snarled, "You haven't won yet."

May had clambered onto her feet and was attempting to climb out of the fountain, and Drew attempted to grab her ankle and pull her back in. Unfortunately, he slipped, and landed on top of Tentasha.

"Tentaaaa!" (Huuug!)

"Get off me!" said Drew's muffled voice. He shoved Tentasha off of himself, and before Tentasha could hug him again, he clambered out of the fountain, and stood next to a laughing May.

At first, Drew felt like first killing May, and then her Tentasha, via a slow and painful death. But watching May laugh at the ridiculous situation, and Tentasha splash in delight in the fountain, and then looking at himself and seeing his soaked clothes, he couldn't help but laugh himself.

But coldness soon took over them. They shivered in the garden, too nervous to go back into the ballroom.

"We c-can't go b-back in there while we're w-wet!" stuttered May, her teeth clattering.

"B-blame your Tentasha, not m-me!" retorted Drew, jerking his head at Tentasha, who was still whizzing about in the fountain.

"M-my poor dress is r-ruined!" wailed May. She shot a glare at Drew. "I know it w-was Tentasha's f-fault for p-pushing you in, b-but you d-didn't have to d-drag me in there with you!"

"It was r-revenge," said Drew, smirking although he was freezing. "You shouldn't have l-laughed at m-me!"

"Oh, shup up," snapped May. She looked around the garden in hope of finding another way out of the garden except for the doors which led to the ballroom. Luckily, there was a small gate at the end of the garden, which led to the courtyard, where just a few hours ago, Ally and May had been battling, and Jay had been watching them from afar.

"It's lucky, you know," said Drew, as they scurried through the garden gate, "that no-one s-saw us. We were incredibly l-lucky that no-one looked through th-the window and actually s-saw us falling into the f-fountain!"

"I g-guess there were all t-too busy d-dancing or s-something," replied May, rubbing her bare arms to keep herself warm. "Wh-what's that?"

At the far end of the courtyard, there was a taxi cab, and someone was clambering out of it.

"Thanks!" the person was saying to the driver of the taxi.

"No problem, ma'am," said the driver. The car started up, and whizzed down the driveway of the mansion.

Just as Tentasha caught up with Drew and May, they realized that the person who'd just emerged from the car was nonetheless-

"Ally!!"

Ally turned around, searching for the source of the voice that had called out her name. Her face lit up as a grin formed on her face once she saw May and Drew hurrying at her.

"Drew! May! Oh my God, the hospital was so amazing, I was in this room, and it was really small, but the nurses were really nice, and they gave me a lollipop, and it tasted like strawberries, and then they said that my wrist was broken, and I was so happy, because I've never had a broken bone before, and they sprayed some weird brown stuff on my arm and then they put a pink cast on it, and I really love pink, and then Jay walked in, and he was all worried about me and stuff, and then he said that Charlie was okay, though his arm was still really damaged, but the doctors think that they'll be able to save it, and that Harley was really sad and felt awful, but Jay said it was alright, and then the nurses walked in and said I could go home, and Jay could too, because they had managed to treat his wounds, but, yeah, Jay wanted to stay at hospital with his brothers because he was really worried, yeah, so I went home by myself, but Jay came with me to the taxi service station, and he hugged me goodbye, and he was really careful around my arm, yeah, and then a taxi came, and the man in the taxi was like, "Oh what's happened to your arm?" and I was like, "Oh I broke it in a silly accident," 'cause I didn't want to tell him about the battle, and he was like, "Aww, poor you," and then he was really nice to me and he drove me here for half price so I gave him a tip and he was like, "Thanks!" and I was like, "No problem!" and then you ran up to me and I was like, "HI!" and then-," she paused. "Why are you wet?"

Drew and May were staring at Ally in an exasperated manner.

"Glad t-to see you're alright," said May, half-laughing. "D-Drew and I fell into a f-fountain, long story."

"Here's a t-tip," muttered Drew. "Don't stand n-near a fountain while you're with T-Tentasha."

At the sound of its name, Tentasha squealed.

"Teeentasha!"

"So Charlie's alright?" asked May, ignoring Drew. "What d-did the doctors say?"

"I've already told you," sighed Ally.

"We d-didn't understand a word y-you said," said Drew under his breath. Like May, Ally ignored him.

"The doctors told Jay that Charlie's arm was in an awful condition, but they have a eighty percent chance of saving it."

"Eighty percent chance?" repeated May. "That's g-good then!"

"But there's also twenty percent chance of him l-losing it," said Drew darkly. "Don't get your hopes t-too high, May."

"Stop being so depressing," frowned Ally. "Come on, we better go back to our rooms, you two need to dry off. You're shaking like leaves!"

"I s-suppose," sighed Drew. He allowed himself to be led across the courtyard, rather reluctantly, though.

"So how's your arm, A-Ally?" asked May, as they made their way through the large golden front doors of the hall. Ally shrugged, poking her shocking pink cast with her good hand.

"I dunno," she admitted, shaking her shoulders. "The nurse said it'll be numb for a while, but tomorrow, it should hurt like hell."

"That's something to look f-forward to," muttered Drew.

"You're such a cheerful person, Drew," said Ally in a sarcastic manner. "Jay said he'd be back either late tonight or tomorrow morning. He wants to make sure Charlie is alright."

"What about Harley? I doubt they're in the best of moods with each other," said Drew lowly.

"They barely said a word to each other in the ambulance," replied Ally solemnly. "At first, Harley kept apologizing, but Jay just gave him cold looks. I don't blame him; Harley's done horrid things."

Neither Drew nor May said anything. The three silently climbed up the staircase which led to the corridors that branched off into their rooms.

"I'll be seeing you!" said Ally, once they reached their corridor. She disappeared into her room, shutting the door behind her. Drew and May padded on to their own room, and gratefully entered.

"I am _so _freezing!" shuddered May as they walked into their bedroom. Drew nodded behind her.

"Somehow, I can't remember how it feels to be warm," he said.

"This reminds me of that night where we both got lost," said May softly, shivering at the thought.

"Oh yeah... in the snow..."

"You fell on top of me."

"Hey, we were both unconscious, get over it."

"It was so cold that night..." May shuddered. "Thank God Ally found us."

"Imagine..." said Drew lowly. "Imagine if we'd never been discovered. Our heartbeats would've slowly merged with silence, as our blood steadily froze, our eyes never to be opened again, our bodies forever buried beneath the snow-,"

"Stop it!" shrieked May, swatting Drew with her hand. Drew smirked, so May walked away. "I'm taking a long hot bath," she announced. Drew's smirk faded into a frown.

"Why do you get to go first?" he said grumpily.

"I'm a girl!"

"That is so sexist. Your punishment for offending the male gender is letting me take over the bathroom first."

"No!"

"That's just unfair, May. Girls always take longer in the bathroom."

"Look who's being sexist now!"

"I'm just stating the obvious."

"Drew, I'm taking a bath first. Build a bridge and _get over it._"

She stomped into the bathroom, kicking her soaked heels off before entering. Before she could slam the door, Drew shoved his foot in the door's way.

"Please, May. Let me have a bath first. I'm shivering to death here."

"You're not stuttering anymore!"

"Neither are you, smart ass. Now, move before I clog the toilet using your big over-sized head."

May shoved Drew hard in his shoulder.

"No!" she bellowed into his face. "I'm taking the bath first, and there's nothing you can do about it!"

"I could do _this_!" snapped Drew, before pushing May aside. May screeched in anger, and grabbed the back of his sodden tuxedo, and dragged him back out of the bathroom.

The next few minutes continued in the same manner, neither of them actually succeeding in taking over the bathroom. Finally, both of the scuffling Co-ordinators managed to fight their way into the bathroom.

"Drew, if you want a bath so badly, go to Ally's room and ask if you can use hers!"

"...I don't think there's a bath in her room, May."

May looked incredulously at Drew. "What are you," she scoffed, "psychic?"

"No." He looked around the bathroom, as if searching for an object. "I said what I said because there isn't a bath here, either."

May glanced around the room; his words were true – the bathroom was bathless. The broken shower stood in the corner, but there was no sign of a bath.

There was a few minutes' silence.

"May," said Drew slowly, "I think that was the stupidest thing we've ever done in our lives."

...

...

Finally, while Drew was busy taking off his sodden shoes, which were gripping tightly to his soaked socks, May had seized her chance. She grabbed her towel and bathrobe, and rushed out of the room and down to Ally's bathroom, in hope of using Ally's shower before Drew could get there.

Thankfully, Ally had allowed her to use her shower, although she felt a bit guilty about Drew. After a nice hot shower, May returned to her room, expecting to be brutally murdered by Drew after hogging the shower before him. But a different sight met her eyes; Drew was sitting by the kitchen table, his hair towel-dried, wearing a dark green bathrobe and his ordinary jeans and black t-shirt, and sipping hot chocolate peacefully.

"Drew?"

Drew glanced up from his mug of hot chocolate, and smirked at May.

"I went to Gary's room," he said, before May could speak. "He and Solidad are back from the ball, apparently it's ended now. He let me use his shower after hearing my story."

He got up from the table and grabbed the electric kettle, and a few moments later, he returned to the table, and placed a fresh mug of hot chocolate in front of May.

"So you're not mad with me for stealing the shower?" asked May nervously, sitting down beside Drew. He shook his head.

"Nah, it'd be a stupid thing to be angry over," he said. He sipped more of his hot chocolate. "Remind me to never to into Gary's room while Solidad was there."

Poor Drew had unsuspectingly stumbled across Gary and Solidad while they were making out passionately, and he felt rather emotionally scarred.

"It's funny, isn't it?" said May, drinking her own hot chocolate. "Gary and Solidad barely knew each other a few days ago, and now they're a couple. That battle must have brought them together," she added softly.

"Yeah," agreed Drew quietly. "He even doesn't mind about Solidad being pregnant. I hope he stays with Solidad, she's going to need all the help she can get."

"I can't believe Harley didn't say anything to her before going to the hospital with his brothers," said May, sighing. "He doesn't care that he's going to be a father."

"If I found out that I'd impregnated a girl, I'd be terrified of talking to her again!" said Drew. May raised an eyebrow.

"Harley must've been shocked, after all," she said. "He's not the only one of us that's had a rough day."

"Ally breaking her wrist, Charlie getting knocked unconscious, Jay getting burned, Harley trying to kill us all," listed Drew with a sigh. "Yeah, we've had a bad day."

They drank the rest of their hot chocolate in silence, and got up from the table.

"We should get to bed, May, it's almost midnight," said Drew, yawning.

"And the final contest is tomorrow," added May, clambering into her bed. She heard Drew climb into his own bed.

"Yeah," said Drew, settling into his pillow. "I'll be using Absol and Chansey for my battles; Roselia's too worn out to battle."

"I'll use Blaziken, I think," smiled May, thinking about her oldest companion. "And maybe Tentasha. Then again, I haven't used Gyarados."

"Gyarados and Blaziken would make a great team," said Drew warmly, although his voice seemed to be distant as he slowly grew sleepier.

"Absol and Chansey, too," replied May, smiling in the darkness. Drew didn't reply; his breathing grew softer as he fell asleep.

May, still smiling, snuggled into her pillow. Although she'd experienced one of the most horrifying days of her life, she felt happy. She fell asleep in just a few seconds.

But, half a mile away in the Goldenrod Hospital, two brothers, one violet-haired and the other with raven-black hair, received devastating news.

Charlie's right arm was to be forever damaged, for it was paralyzed, and he would never be able to use it again.

* * *

Poor Charlie D:

Poor everyone! But at least things are alright for Drewy and Maysie :3

Anyhoos, I'm working on a new trailer video for Love Beats Everything. It's a bit hard to do, because there aren't any clips of Jay and Charlie (who are pretty major characters) because they don't exist in the actual Pokemon anime xD Ah well. I should finish the video in a week or so (check my account UnfourtanateX to watch my other preview video, All The Things She Said) and hopefully, I'll be posting the next chapter in about two weeks because it's the SUMMER HOLIDAAAYS IN A WEEK! YAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAY! Anyways, feel free to review, because me likes reviews more than hot chocolate. Did anyone but me get a sudden craving for hot choco while reading the part where Drew and May were drinking hot choccie? I want hot choccie now but it's only lunchtime xD I'll get some cucumber instead...

Oops, sorry, I'm waffling D:

Review pleash :3


	20. Chapter 20 : Reunited

**_I'M ALIVE! QUICK, GO AND CELEBRATE BEFORE I DIE AGAIN!!_**

Uh, yeah. Thankies for the reviews, dudes :D It was my birthday a week ago, so I haven't had a lot of time to write this fanfiction. Sorry! But I personally think this chapter is worth the wait. I'm revealing a bit of Paul's past, you see, because I want him to be a major character along with May, Drew, Jay and so on. I've been planning to introduce him since I introduced Dawn, but I, eh, kinda forgot about him. Wanna know something? I was planning on making Max come along with May to the Johto! Imagine how different the story would be then!

**"May," said Drew softly, leaning towards May, cupping her delicate face gently in his hand. He felt his heart beat faster and faster as his eyes locked gazes with her beautiful sapphire ones.**

**"D-Drew," stuttered May, looking surprised, but she placed her arms around his neck. They edged closer and closer towards each other...**

**"MAY AND DREW, SITTING IN A TREE!" screeched Max, who had popped up behind the two Co-ordinators. "K-I-S-S-I-N-G! FIRST COMES LOVE, THEN COMES MARRIAGE, THEN COMES MAY WITH A BABY- _ACK!"_**

**Max crumpled to the ground, a large bump appearing on his forehead, for May had just kicked him hard in the face.**

Haha, that'd actually be pretty nice. No, Max is better off staying away from Drew and May. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Note: Ash swears quite a lot at some point, so be prepared if you don't like swearwords...

Another Note: I think Jay does too at some point...

Yet Another Note: Oh, Drew does too. Which reminds me, one of the characters in this chapter has a slightly perverted moment including one of the other character's breast... be prepared, because it made my friend laugh her head off and she fell off her chair and actually rofl'd. It was so awesome.

_Disclaimer:_ Dydi Pokemon, Drew a May, na' m'byd arall rili yn perthyn imi. Cadwch i ffwrdd o Charlie a Jay! Fi sy' bia nhw! (Who said disclaimers had to be English?) Fine, you can have a translation. Ahem. _Translation: _Pokemon, Drew and May and everything else related to Pokemon does not belong to me. But keep away from Charlie and Jay! They're mine!

Ok, pip-pip :D I'm off to London tomozza.

* * *

"What do you _mean_!?"

Jay's shriek rang through the corridor of the hospital where he, Harley and a doctor stood. Harley's face whitened as his eyes grew wide in shock.

"I'm afraid that Charlie's right arm has been paralyzed," repeated the doctor gently. He put his arm on Jay's shoulder, who swatted it away. "I know this is difficult for you. But please, think of your brother."

Jay breathed heavily, his shoulders heaving as he tried his hardest not to punch something with his clenched fist.

"It's all my fault," whispered Harley in mortification. Jay couldn't bear to look at neither the doctor nor Harley. He brushed past his oldest brother, and stormed into the room where unconscious Charlie lay.

But his rage evaporated as he gazed at his injured older brother, and he felt immediate sadness. The whole of Charlie's right arm and shoulder was wrapped tightly and plastered in a cast, although most of it could not be seen because of the white hospital sheet which covered most of Charlie's body.

He was still wearing his clothes, but his long pristinely white winter scarf and black leather jacket had been removed, and the right sleeve of his soft green and white shirt had been cut off to make room for the large plaster cast.

'Once those bones are recovered,' thought Jay sadly to himself, 'his arm will be healed. But the arm will never be a part of Charlie's body again...'

...

...

It was three a.m. in the morning, yet Drew was awake, lying in his bed, staring at his ceiling. He had released Roselia from her Pokeball, and she sat on his pillow, half-asleep.

"What am I going to do, Roselia?" said Drew lowly, so that May wouldn't wake up. "I can't keep this Rampardos."

"Roselia." (Kill it.)

Drew was unsure whether or not Roselia was joking. He sat up and pulled Roselia onto his lap.

"I could release it into the wild," he said, sighing, "but Rampardos could destroy someone else's life. And I can't give it to someone else, it would be too unfair."

"I'll look after it, Drew."

Drew jumped in surprise as he turned to see May sitting up in her bed.

"May!"

"I woke up when I heard you talking to Roselia," explained May, smiling slightly.

"But May... you can't look after Rampardos!"

"Why not?" frowned May. "I think that with a little love and care, Rampardos could be truly tamed."

"But he killed my brother, May. I don't want you getting hurt."

Drew said the last few words in a sad manner. May could not stop herself from getting out of her bed and padding over to Drew's. She sat down beside him, and wrapped her arms around him.

"Don't worry about me, Drew," she said, embracing Drew softly. "I won't get hurt."

"But you _did _get hurt, May," muttered Drew. "If I hadn't stupidly gotten knocked out by that Skarmory, you would've never gotten slashed by it."

"That's in the past, Drew."

"It was four days ago!"

"My back's fine," assured May gently, settling herself into Drew's bed. Roselia greeted her happily.

"I can't let you take care of Rampardos," said Drew quietly. "Didn't you see what it did to Charlie's arm?"

"It was bad luck; I'm sure his arm is perfectly fine now."

"But Rampardos killed my brother, May. What if the same happens to you?" snapped Drew fiercly. He then sighed, and said tenderly, "I don't want to lose you too, May."

He fell silent again, and then said, "Rampardos has only caused destruction. It's a disgusting cold-blooded _murderer!"_

And before he could stop himself, Drew did something he had not done since the day he lost his brother; he wept.

May could do nothing but watch as she saw the cold, arrogant shell which Drew usually hid behind and saw his softer, more vulnerable side. She wrapped her arms around his shaking body as the tears fell from his eyes, softly caressing his hair as if he was a small child.

It seemed that everything had finally hit Drew; Charlie and Ally getting hurt, Harley attempting to kill his only family, the massive battle, Rampardos's re-appearance, and the memories of Dorian's death. May had never seen Drew so out of character, yet she understood his sadness. She, too, had to restrain herself from crying.

Finally, Drew calmed down enough to, without saying a word, slip into slumber. May, her arms still wrapped around Drew's taller frame, remained in his bed, as Roselia watched over the two Co-ordinators as they slept.

'It's strange,' thought Roselia to herself as she gazed at them, 'how things have changed. Just a few days ago, it was May who was crying, and it was Drew who comforted her.'

Roselia gently stroked her master's hair with her soft petals. Although she was far younger than him, she felt that she should protect him.

"Roselia..." whispered the small Pokemon, her way of saying, "I love you, Master."

...

...

_Be-beep!_

_Be-beep!_

_Be-bee_-CLUNK.

The small silver alarm clock was thrust across the room and smashed into pieces as it made contact with the wall, leaving a slight dent. Grumbling, Drew crawled deeper into his bedcovers, sprawling out into a comfortable position, ready to slumber once more. But as he stretched his arm, he was shocked to feel something warm and soft. Drew blinked, and squeezed the soft object. He emerged from his bedcovers, and was immediately horrified and felt slightly suicidal, for he had just groped May's breast.

May was staring at Drew in a dumbstruck manner, as the latter stared back at her, his eyes wide.

"Drew..." said May quietly, who had awoken to the sound of Drew smashing his alarm clock, "Why did you just do that?"

"I... I-I... I-uh... _May don't!_"

But it was too late. May, who was incredibly easy to enrage, had grabbed the scruff of Drew's neck, and had catapulted him out of his bed and straight to the floor, before proceeding to beat the living hell out of him.

"_So, even though I comforted you last night when you were so depressed, you decide to repay me by feeling me up?! I could get you arrested for sexual assault, Drew! I am going to beat your ass up so bad that you won't be able to walk for a month without groaning! Argh, I wish I could throw you straight out of this window NOW!"_

"_I was half a-freakin'-sleep!" _yelled Drew back. He had overcome his shock, and was now struggling against May's punches. "Why would anyone want to feel you up, you pig-faced _bitch!_"

"You ice-hearted _jerk!_"

Drew attempted to throw the enraged girl off, but May was now thumping his head into the posts of his bed.

Finally, after a few minutes of abusing Drew, May felt satisfied, and sauntered off into the kitchen.

"You stay _away_ from me, you paedophile!" she shrieked before slamming the door. Drew shakily got up from the ground, rubbing his aching head. He wouldn't be able to look at May's face (or her chest) for quite a while.

'It's not my damn fault that she was in my bed,' thought Drew grumpily to himself as he sat down on his bed. 'She should really stop sleeping next to me.'

'Yeah, but she was only comforting you.'

Drew froze. Oh, no. Oh, God, no. His conscience had returned.

'You're such a little weakling, Drew,' sneered the annoying voice. 'Crying like a little baby!'

'Shut up,' snapped Drew into his inner mind.

'I can't shut up, stupid, I'm your conscience,' replied Steve.

'I think I should go to rehab...'

'Nah, I can be useful.'

'How? Your last piece of advice was to ask Ally to go with me to the ball, and that worked out like hell.'

'It isn't my fault that she's gone off with that goth! Anyway, isn't it about time for you to admit your never-ending love to May?'

'I just groped her breast, Steve. And I do not have any feelings towards her.'

'But you admitted a few weeks ago that you had a crush on her! Dear God, you're so damn confusing.'

'Shut up, go away, and burn in hell.'

Drew got up from his bed, and sighed. How could he explain to May that what had just happened had been an accident? He was slightly anxious of talking to her again; what if she beat him up again? Drew was embarrassed enough by the fact that he was considered as a pervert in May's mind.

'It's her fault,' grumbled Steve, who had trotted back from the depths of Drew's mind. 'She should really stop coming into your bed.'

'Yeah, but, well, she was... comforting me last night.'

'You bloody cry-baby.'

'_Shut up_.'

Drew felt a sudden blaze of anger as he thought of how weak he was; he had burst into tears at the age of thirteen! He hadn't cried since his brother's death. He hadn't even cried at the funeral. He merely stared towards the black coffin which his brother's mangled body was encased in.

He pulled on his jacket with a sigh, and knocked on the door of the kitchen.

"Go away, you pervert!"

Drew grunted back, "You're over-reacting, May. I didn't _mean _to do that, I thought you were a pillow or something."

"Excuses, Drew! You just stay away from me!"

Drew eventually gave up, and slipped out of the room and out onto the corridor. The final contest was in just five hours, and he needed some breakfast. He decided to go to Gary's room, and find out if Jay had returned yet.

"Hey Drew!"

Drew spun around, and saw Ally skipping down the corridor, a basket of clothes under one arm.

"Oh, hey, Ally."

The hyperactive girl bounced up to him, and grinned.

"I just came back from the laundry room. I've almost managed to clean most of the burn marks off my dress, but I'm sure that Mom will be able to sort it out when I go back to Cherrygrove City."

"Oh, that's good. How is your Mom, anyway? With the baby and all that?"

"She's due any day now," replied Ally, grinning. "I can't wait to meet my new baby sister!"

Drew smiled. "It must be nice to have such a large family."

Ally laughed, and shook her head. "It's annoying, sometimes. Ellie, Fifi and Cody can be so damn irritating, especially Fifi. She thinks she's the boss of us all, just 'cause she's the oldest. Cody is so much nicer, just he never talks. It's a bit creepy, really."

"How old are they?"

"Well, Fifi's nineteen next month, Cody is sixteen, and Ellie is his younger twin sister, so she's obviously sixteen as well. I think. I get confused with all my family. Anyway, what're you doing by yourself?"

"May's kicked me out of our room."

"Why? Did you have a fight again?"

"Yeah. I'm going to Gary's room to try and get some food, 'cause May won't let me into the kitchen."

"That sucks. I'll come with you, 'cause Solidad's still asleep and I'm bored like hell. I'll just go dump these clothes in my room and I'll join you and Gary!"

Ally scuttled down the corridor, and disappeared into her room. Drew heard a faint, "Ally! Why did you throw your damn clothes on top of me!?" and then Ally re-appeared, looking amused.

"Did you throw your clothes at Solidad?" asked Drew as Ally caught up with him.

"Yep."

"While she was asleep?"

"Yep."

They reached Gary and Jay's room. As Ally tapped on the door, she said in a sing-song voice, "Gaaary! Let us in, pleeeease!"

"Ally?" came Gary's sleepy voice from inside the room. "Is that you?"

"Yeah!" replied Ally happily. "Drew and I are here to hijack your food supplies."

"That's nice," grumbled Gary, opening the door. His messy auburn hair was even more of a rugged mess than usual, and it was obvious he had only just woken up.

"I see you're an early bird," smirked Drew as he and Ally entered the room. Gary groaned and rubbed his eyes.

"Why can't you eat breakfast in your own room?" he asked tiredly.

"I've been kicked out," shrugged Drew, mock-sighing.

"I'm just bored!" added Ally, grinning. Gary sighed.

"I've only had three hours of sleep, guys," he said exasperatedly. "Can't I have another hour?"

"Three hours?" blinked Ally. "Why?"

"I was waiting for Jay to get back here, but he never did, so he must still be in the hospital," replied Gary. "I waited for him until five a.m., but I fell asleep."

"Poor you," said Ally. "Ok, I'll go to the kitchen and make some breakfast for Drew and I, and we'll leave you in peace. Don't worry, we'll wake you up an hour or so before the contest."

"Thanks," said Gary gratefully. He rubbed his eyes again, and crawled back into his bed, and was asleep in a matter of seconds.

Eventually, Ally managed to pour some milk and cereal into bowls, and passed one of the bowls to Drew, who was sitting on the edge of the kitchen table. Ally perched herself on a chair, and they started to eat their breakfast.

"Hang on," said Drew, gulping down his cereal with slight difficulty, for he wasn't a fan of milk, "haven't you had your breakfast already, Ally?"

"Yeah."

"Why are you eating cereal here, then?"

"I dunno."

...

...

May sighed. She hated being on her own. She was sitting on her bed, and Eevee was curled up on her pillow. She had tried going to Ally and Solidad's room, but Solidad was still asleep (for some bizarre reason, she had a pile of clothes on top of her), and Ally had disappeared. May had thought of going to Gary's room to talk to him for a while, but then realized that Drew would most likely be there.

May clenched her fists.

"Drew!" she growled. "That pervert..."

She thrust her fist into her pillow, causing Eevee to squeak in shock.

"Sorry, Eevee," muttered May, stroking Eevee's fluffy fur.

"Eevee Eve!" (Just 'cause you're peeved with Drew, don't take it out on me!)

"Sorry," repeated May with a sigh. "It's just that I am so damn angry with him."

"Roselia, Ros!"

Roselia, who Drew had not returned to her Pokeball, hopped onto May's bed and sat beside Eevee.

"Roselia? Where've you been?" asked May, blinking.

"Roselia Roselia Ros Roselia." (When I saw you beating the hell out of my master, I thought it'd be best to keep out of the way.)

"Where were you?"

"Rosel." (Under his bed.)

"Oh. Well, you don't blame me for being angry with Drew, do you?"

"Roselia Roselia!" (Well, Drew was half-asleep, you know! And he was under his bed covers, so how would he have known that you were there?)

"Yeah, but-,"

"Roselia! Roselia Ros, Rosel Roselia! Lia!" (But nothing! You could've laughed this whole thing off, but instead, you decided to kick and punch my poor master, who was clearly horrified at what he'd just done. And calling him a pervert and a paedophile was just cruel, May. You know it was.)

"Eevee Eve!" (You should apologize, May!)

"B-but-,"

"Ros!" (No buts! Say sorry to him _now_!)

"_Roselia_!"

May spun around to find the source of the voice that had just said Roselia's name. It was Drew; he stood in the doorway, looking furious.

"Roselia!" he repeated, striding up to May's bed, where Roselia stood, looking mildly shocked. "Were you trying to force May into doing something she doesn't want to do?"

"R-Rosel-lia..."

"You've got nothing to do with this, Roselia. Return."

Roselia attempted to dodge the flash of red light, but she was too slow; she disappeared into her Pokeball. Drew sighed, and stuffed the Pokeball into his pocket. Without looking May, he said, "I'm just here to get the rest of my Pokemon. We're going to go and train outside in the gardens."

He opened his bedside drawer and took out some Pokeballs, and then turned to leave the room without a word. But as he reached for the doorknob, May called out, "Drew, wait!"

Drew didn't turn around to face her, but he didn't leave the room. He folded his arms and leant against the doorframe. "What?" he muttered.

"I'm sorry."

Drew said nothing as he continued to lean against the side of the door.

"Are you mad with me?" asked May softly.

"Of course I am," said Drew with a sigh. "But I forgive you. Just... don't beat me up again."

"Sorry!" repeated May, but with a grin. Drew smiled slightly too.

"Get your Pokeballs, you're going to train with me today," he said. "The final battles are today."

"Wouldn't it be awesome if both of us won the ribbons?" said May dreamily, as she collected her Pokeballs from her bedside table.

"It would," agreed Drew, "but don't get your hopes up."

"I won't!" said May, as they left the room, but inside, she was thinking, 'But it would be nice...'

As they made their way down the hallway, Drew and May saw Ally scuttling down the corridor, looking anxious.

"Hey, Ally," greeted May with a smile. "What's the matter?"

"Oh! Hi! Oh! You're friends again?" replied Ally, nodding at the two Co-ordinators.

"Yeah," replied Drew, slightly awkwardly. He had told Ally why May had kicked him out while they were eating breakfast, and he regretted it greatly.

"What's the matter, Ally?" asked May, frowning. "You look really nervous."

"Well..." said Ally slowly, biting her lip. She sighed. "The contest has been post-poned."

Drew froze. "What!?

"Why!?" demanded May, outraged.

"Because Jay still isn't back."

"Oh! Well, hopefully, the contest will be on tomorrow, yeah?"

"Probably," said Ally. "But that's not what I'm worried about..."

"Well?" prompted Drew. "Spit it out."

"If Jay and Harley are still is hospital with Charlie, that means something bad has happened to Charlie, doesn't it?" said Ally quietly. May gasped.

"Oh no!" she said worriedly. "His arm!"

Ally nodded. "If the brothers are still in hospital, it only means that Charlie's arm is in bad condition."

"He's already shattered the bones in his arm after falling from such a height when he was younger," said Drew, remembering what Charlie had told them the day before.

"Do Madame Marie and Annabelle know what's happened?" asked May. "You know, with the battle you guys had last night?"

"No," said Ally, shaking her head. "If they did, we'd be disqualified by now. Jay called Madame Marie saying that his brother had been in an accident, but he didn't specify what the accident was. He just said that his brother needed him."

"It's a good thing that Annabelle and Madame Marie don't know about the battle," said Drew, biting his lip. "I don't want any of us to get kicked out of the contest."

"Me neither," said Ally, sighing. "I think I'll go to the hospital today, seeing as there isn't a contest. I'm really worried about Charlie, but I want to make sure Jay is alright too."

"We'll come with you. But I think it's better to wake up Gary and Solidad first and tell them about the cancelation of the contest, and where we're going," said Drew, turning around and starting to walk towards Gary's room.

"Yeah," agreed May. "They'll want to come with us, especially Solidad. She needs to talk to Harley."

Ally said nothing as the three of them let themselves into Gary's room, where he was still fast asleep. May crept up to the side of his bed, and gently nudged his shoulder.

"Gary?" she said softly. "Gary, it's time to wake up."

Gary grumbled, and buried himself deeper under his bedclothes. May continued to nudge him, slightly rougher, but the young man still would not awaken.

"Why is he so sleepy?" whispered May to Drew.

"He stayed up almost all night, waiting for Jay to come back home," he answered, slightly sad.

"Poor guy," said May softly. She proceeded to nudge Gary, but got no reaction. Finally, Ally got fed up of being patient, and kicked Gary hard.

Yelling in surprise, Gary tumbled out of his bed and landed with a thud on the carpet. He blearily looked up at the three figures which towered before him.

"Good morning," said Ally, nudging Gary's form with her foot. "Get your butt off the ground, and get it moving."

"Is it time for the contest?" yawned Gary, stumbling onto his feet while glaring at Ally, who was urging him to move as fast as possible.

"It's been cancelled," said May. Both she and Drew explained to Gary what they had just learned, as Gary freshened up in the bathroom and ate a hasty breakfast. Ally disappeared to Solidad's room.

"So the contest's been cancelled because of Jay?" asked Gary through a mouthful of toast. Drew nodded.

"Yeah. We're all worried about Charlie, even though he's caused a lot of trouble."

"Man, poor Jay, being stuck with a brother with a damaged arm and another brother that's crazy," sighed Gary, dumping the crust of his toast in the trash can. He hurriedly combed his tangled hair, and the three youths headed out of the room.

"Is the hospital close?" asked May as Gary locked the door of his room.

"Ally probably knows, she's been there," replied Drew, shrugging. "Come on then, let's go get Sol and Ally."

"We're already heeeere!" came Ally's sing-song voice as she bounded down the corridor, dragging a rather sleepy-looking Solidad with her.

"Ah, Ally," greeted May. "D'you know the way to the hospital?"

"Yeah, actually!" grinned Ally. "I'm weirdly good at remembering where things are. Unfortunately, the hospital is on the other side of the city. It'd take a good three hours to get there on foot."

"I suppose we'll have to get a taxi," sighed Gary. "Who has money?"

"We can't get a taxi, even if we did have money," replied Drew impatiently. "How are we gonna fit six Co-ordinators into one tiny cab?"

"Drew has a point," grumbled Solidad, who still looked sleepy. "We can't all pile into a cab."

"So what're we going to do, then?" frowned May, leaning against a radiator.

"We'll be creative," said Drew, smirking mysteriously. Ally cocked her head.

"Creative? What do you mean?"

"Get your strongest Pokemon out. We're gonna ride them to the hospital."

"Ride them?" asked May, raising an eyebrow. "Isn't that a bit mean?"

"We ride Gyarados all the time, May," protested Drew. "Unfortunately, I don't have a Pokemon large enough for me to ride."

"You can ride my Nidoking," said Gary, grabbing a Pokeball from his belt.

"But Nidoking are usually only four or five feet tall," said Drew, but he ate his words once he saw the great size of the Nidoking which had been released from Gary's Pokeball.

"Jesus!" exclaimed Ally. "That Nidoking has to be at least eight feet tall!"

It was true; the dinosaur-like Pokemon just about managed to fit in the hallway. It thrust its tail impatiently and turned to Gary.

"Nidoking, Drew will be riding you to the hospital where our friend is, alright?" said Gary. The Nidoking nodded, and grunted at Drew in acknowledgement.

"I'll get my Blaziken to give me a piggy-back," grinned May, looking forward to riding her oldest companion as she released Blaziken from its Pokeball.

"Rapidash is perfect for this," smiled Ally, as she threw Rapidash's Pokeball into the air.

"Arcanine, of course," said Solidad, and released her large fire wolf.

"And I'll use my Arcanine, too," said Gary. Soon, all five of the Co-ordinators had their Pokemon standing next to them, except for Drew, who was borrowing.

"Man, everyone has Fire types except for me," grumbled Drew.

"You could ride my Slugma, if you'd like," smirked Gary. Drew hastily backed away and patted Nidoking on its scaly back.

"Never mind," he said quickly, "Nidoking's good enough."

"Good."

The five of them set off down the hallways, their large Pokemon following suit. May was surprised to see Tucker out in the gardens as they made their way across, and hastily ducked behind her Blaziken. Once they reached the courtyard, the Co-ordinators prepared themselves for their long ride.

"The Pokemon Centre was quite close to the hospital," called Ally, as she climbed onto Rapidash's fiery back.

"Ok!" grinned Gary, clambering onto Arcanine's back. Solidad did the same, as Nidoking and Blaziken hoisted their riders onto their backs.

"This should be interesting," chortled Solidad from her perch. "Five teenagers rushing through Goldenrod City on massive Pokemon!"

"We're destined to be interesting," replied Ally with a grin. "Ok, everyone! Follow me!"

She pressed her legs onto the sides of Rapidash's body, and with a loud neigh, the fire horse zoomed onwards. Nidoking and Blaziken followed, pounding their vast feet into the concrete of the pavement, while Solidad and Gary bounded behind them on their Arcanine.

After a few minutes, they entered the main city. Many shoppers stared at them in bewilderment, as they watched the Pokemon canter past.

"Nice Blaziken!" called a teenage boy from behind May.

"Thanks!" grinned May, winking at the boy. Drew felt immediately envious.

"What're you doing?" asked another teenager, dumbfounded.

"We're on an adventure!" laughed Ally from her Rapidash. "Hey, d'you know the way to the hospital?"

"Uh, down Golden Rose Road, and then down the Promenade, and down Silver Berry Road," replied the first teenager, looking baffled.

"Thanks!" called May, zooming down to Golden Rose Road on her Blaziken, with everyone else following speedily.

The five of them cantered down the road, and found themselves in the main Prom. Many more people stared at them and asked questions, but the Co-ordinators merely smiled and continued to zoom on. They eventually reached Silver Berry Road, and the Pokemon were obviously tired.

"C'mon, guys!" called Ally to the Pokemon. "Just down this road, and the hospital should be close!"

Nidoking roared in motivation, and pounded down the road, while Drew clung on for dear life. May laughed and urged Blaziken onwards, while the two Arcanine bounded past everyone, attempting to show off. But Rapidash had true speed; it zoomed past the four other Pokemon, and by the time Solidad, Gary, Drew and May had reached the hospital, Ally was sitting on the grass, patting her Rapidash.

"Jeez, guys, how slow can you get?" she asked, giggling. She raised her plaster cast hand. "I even had to ride with one hand!"

"Well, you live on a farm, so you've probably been riding Ponyta and Rapidash for all your life," shrugged Gary, slipping off his Arcanine.

"So?" said Ally, scowling. She returned Rapidash back to her Pokeball, and Gary returned his Arcanine and Nidoking.

"Ugh, my legs hurt like hell," grumbled May. "Blaziken kept burning my damn legs."

"Blaze!" (Whoops!)

May smiled nonetheless at her Pokemon, and kissed its Pokeball once she'd returned it.

Solidad returned her Arcanine, and said, "Well, c'mon. Into the hospital now."

May noticed how pale Solidad looked; she was obviously reluctant to meet with the father of her child. May sighed to herself. It must be awful for Solidad. Harley had once been a friend of hers, most likely one of Solidad's best friends. But he'd treated her awfully, and now she was carrying a burden within herself.

"He never told me about his brothers," said Solidad quietly to May as the five of them entered the hospital. Gary and Ally wandered over to the receptionist's desk to find out where Charlie was.

"How long have you known him, Solidad?" asked May softly.

"Three or four years," replied Solidad sadly. "We met at one of my first contests. He was such a sweet guy, but very weird. But he was so nice to talk to. I'm an only child, you see, and I live in Pewter City, which doesn't have a lot of kids living there. I only had Brock to talk to there, but he was a bit... over-attached. His massive family was a bit over-powering, too. So it was refreshing to meet someone new like Harley. We travelled with each other for a while. Harley told me that he lived in Slateport, but he never said anything else about his home, or his family. And when we met up again at the Grand Festival last year, things got a bit... out of hand."

May said nothing.

"I need to talk to him," continued Solidad, sighing. "For the sake of my child's future."

May gave Solidad a comforting hug, and said, "Everything will be fine."

Solidad smiled weakly at May as Gary and Ally made their way back to them.

"Charlie's in Ward 36 on the third floor," said Gary.

"Let's go then," urged Drew, making his way down the corridor which led to the staircase. The other four followed his lead, and none of them spoke as they walked past the many corridors. They saw depressing sights; a girl in a wheelchair who stared at the wall of her ward, her eyes glazed over; a man with gruesome scars all over his face and chest. May fingered her own scar on her back, and hissed in pain as her fingers made contact with the still-sensitive skin. Drew saw her wince, and briefly held her hand and squeezed it tightly, although he let go immediately when Gary turned around to see what was wrong with May.

They continued down the corridors, and up a few flights of stairs, which all connected to different rooms. Luckily, there was a map on almost every corner, so it was quite easy to find Ward 36. As they drew nearer to the ward, May realized that many of the wards were named after Gym Leaders and Frontier Brains. She saw the 'Misty of Cerulean City – Ward 31' sign and smiled as she thought of her friend. She then saw a 

man in overalls, most likely the janitor of the hospital, taking down a sign which read 'Dome Ace Tucker' and hammering a new sign which read 'Dome Ace Ritchie' onto the door of Ward 34.

"Here it is," said Ally quietly. All five Co-ordinators stood still as they stared at the door which read 'Lance of the Elite Four – Ward 36'. Solidad gulped, and reached for the handle of the door with a shaking hand. But before her hand touched the handle, the door burst open and a nurse bustled out, carrying a clipboard in her arms.

"Oh!" she said, acknowledging the presence of the five youths. "Are you here to visit young Charlie?"

"Um, yes," said May meekly. "Is he... alright?"

"I'm afraid I can't give out information to non-relatives," said the nurse apologetically. "Are you friends of his?"

"In a way," sighed Drew. He didn't want to lie to the nurse by telling her he was a member of Charlie's family, it just wasn't right. "But can we at least talk to one of his brothers? Preferably Jay."

"Oh, alright," said the nurse, giving in. She popped back into the ward, and a few moments later, Jay came out of the room, looking exhausted and much paler than usual. Everyone was stricken to see that he had tears in his eyes.

"Jay!" cried Ally, immediately embracing the boy. "What's wrong!?"

"His arm..." said Jay quietly, wiping away the droplets of tears in his onyx eyes. "It's... it's paralyzed."

The corridor fell silent. The youths gaped at Jay in immense shock.

"It's... paralyzed?" repeated May, her face white.

"Yeah," muttered Jay. Just at that moment, Harley came out of the room, looking equally pale.

"You've told them?" he said quietly.

Jay snapped back, "Shut up, you bastard."

Harley fell silent and stared to the ground. May understood Jay's anger towards his eldest brother, yet she felt sorrow for Harley.

"He'll never be able to... use his arm again?" asked Gary softly. Jay shook his head.

"Never," he spat, glaring at Harley.

There was an uncomfortable silence. Solidad finally broke it by saying, "Can we talk somewhere, Harley?"

"Wh-what?"

"Please. I need to talk to you."

"...Alright."

Somewhat reluctantly, the tall violet-haired man followed Solidad down the corridor. Gary made to follow them, but Solidad turned around and said, "It's ok, Gary. I'll be back soon."

Harley and Solidad disappeared around the corner, leaving Jay alone with the others.

"Is Charlie awake?" asked May tenderly. Jay, who had been staring after Harley and Solidad, turned to face her.

"His eyes have been opening, but he hasn't actually woken up properly."

"At least he's alright," said Drew quietly. Jay spun to face Drew, looking enraged.

"Are you saying that being unconscious and never be able to move your arm again is _alright!?_" he hissed angrily.

"Yes. I do."

Drew said the words calmly, and stared coolly at Jay, who was panting heavily.

"My brother is never going to be able to move his arm again! And you're saying that's ok!?"

"You didn't even know you still had brothers yesterday," replied Drew.

"Drew, stop it," said May firmly. "Can't you see he's upset?"

"I'm not feeling exactly fantastic, May," muttered Drew. "He doesn't appreciate his brothers. I'd give anything to have my brother back."

"Stop whining," snapped Jay. "He's been dead for years, get over it."

Drew narrowed his eyes as he glared in disgust at the ghostly boy before him. Jay was unnerved to see that the wild look which he'd acquired a few days before had appeared again in Drew's emerald eyes. Jay then noticed that Drew's fist was clenched; he was trying to restrain his fury, but Jay knew that in a few seconds, the clenched fist would make heavy contact with his face.

May, too, had seen this. Before Drew could do anything, she sprung between the two boys, her arms stretched to separate them.

"Don't you dare touch Jay," she warned Drew, before turning to Jay and saying, "I know you're upset Jay, but you back off too."

Both boys unwillingly obeyed. Drew turned away from the other two, and leaned against the wall, regaining his cool and superior air. Jay also stepped away, and opened the door of the ward.

"You can come in, if you want," he muttered, before slipping into the room.

Ally and Gary, who had been watching the whole scenario in a dumbstruck manner, hastily followed Jay into the room. May made to follow them, but before going in, she turned to Drew.

"Are you coming?" she asked softly. Drew moved away from the wall, sighed, and followed her and Jay inside the room.

The ward was completely normal, except it was smaller than most hospital wards, for it only had three beds. Just one of the beds was occupied.

"Charlie."

It was May who gasped his name as she rushed to his bedside. Charlie's eyes were flickering, but not opening.

"Charlie, can you hear me?" asked Jay gently, placing his hand on his brother's undamaged one.

"...Jay..."

The whole room stiffened. Charlie was finally waking up, and Jay was the one who had the horrific job of telling Charlie about his paralyzed arm.

"...Jay... Ha...Harley..."

"Harley isn't here right now," said Jay softly to his brother, who still had his eyes closed. "He'll be back soon, don't worry."

"Ge...get away... get away from it..."

"Away? Away from what?" asked May quietly to Drew.

"That... get away from that... Rampardos... get away..."

Drew bit his lip. "He's reliving last night. He's going through the battle again in his dreams."

"Shouldn't we... wake him up?" asked Gary, moving his eyes' gaze from Charlie to Jay. Jay shook his head.

"No. It's best if he wakes up on his own."

They continued to watch Charlie as he struggled in his nightmare.

"Dragonair... Dragonair..."

"Shit!" gasped Jay suddenly. "We forgot to take Dragonair to the Pokemon Center!"

May froze; Charlie's Dragonair had been crushed under a boulder too. While the paramedics were tending to Charlie, Jay returned Dragonair, and put it in his pocket, saying he'd take it to the Pokemon Centre.

"I can't believe I forgot," he groaned.

"Dragonair... are you... okay...?" muttered Charlie, still plagued by his nightmare.

"I'll take it to the Pokemon Centre right away," said Jay. He buried into the pocket of his black jacket, which he was still wearing from the night before, and his hand emerged from it with a single Pokeball.

"Don't be ridiculous," sighed Ally. She stretched out her hand. "I'll take it. I know where the Cenre is, I saw it on the way home from the hospital last night."

"Alright, then," agreed Jay. "Get Dragonair to the Centre as soon as possible; Dragonair is his prized Pokemon."

"I'll be quicker than lightning," grinned Ally. "I'll ride Rapidash to be even faster. And while I'm on my way out of the hospital, I'll try and find out what Solidad and Harley are up to."

Jay nodded. "Thanks."

With a smile, Ally disappeared out of the room, calling, "Tell Charlie that I say HAAAAAII!"

Her voice echoed through the room, causing Charlie to stir in his sleep.

"Jay... Jay... _JAY!"_

Charlie yelled in what seemed to be excruciating pain, and unexpectedly raised his head from the pillow, his eyes wide open, his mouth agape in a heavy pant.

No one said a word as Charlie blinked rapidly and looked around the room, still white from his horrifying nightmare.

"Wh-where... where am I?"

His voice was much clearer now he was awake.

"You're in hospital, Charlie," explained Jay softly. "Do you remember what happened last night?"

Charlie's face was first confused, and then he bit his lip.

"The battle. I... got crushed under that rock, didn't I?" he said quietly. Before anyone could do anything, he ripped back his bedcovers and gazed at his arm.

He stared at it in an anxious manner, fingering the plaster cast which covered his entire right arm, right up to his shoulder. At once he knew his arm was broken, but there was something else wrong.

"I... I can't move my arm."

He returned his gaze to Jay once more, who had a pained expression on his face, as if he was trying to stop himself from crying.

"I can't... feel anything."

The room stiffened.

"It's paralyzed, isn't it?"

Charlie said this softly, and everyone was surprised to see that he didn't seem shocked or horrified at all. He had a sad expression on his face, but it didn't show any extreme emotion.

"...Yeah. It is." Jay muttered quietly. A tear fell from his eye. "I'm sorry."

"It's... not your fault," said Charlie, his voice weak.

"I should've protected you..." protested Jay.

"You didn't know that I... was still alive until yesterday," said Charlie, his eyes full of sadness. "I'm just happy... that I finally found you again, Jay... When I found out Harley was looking for you... I just had to follow him... so that I could find you... But it all went so wrong..."

"Don't talk, Charlie," said Jay, cupping his brother's bruised cheek in one hand. "You're still weak. And don't act as if this was your fault; everyone knows that it's mine. If I hadn't burnt down our home and tried to kill you and Harley, none of this would've ever happened..."

"Harley was... slowly killing us..." murmured Charlie with a sigh. "He was... horrible to us. If you hadn't burnt down the house, Jay... we would be dead by now."

Jay gulped. It was true. Harley, with his abusive and violent ways, would've killed his brothers, perhaps by accident, if they had stayed in their home.

"Speaking of that psycho brother of ours," continued Charlie, although he seemed to use the term affectionately, "where is he?"

"He's with Solidad. That girl with long red hair," added Jay, for Charlie seemed confused for a few moments.

"Oh, her..." said Charlie, biting his lip. "The girl that Harley..."

"Banged," nodded Jay, finishing Charlie's sentence for him.

"So... we're going to be uncles?"

"Yeah."

"What about me?" asked Gary suddenly. Drew and May turned to face him.

"What about you?" blinked Drew, baffled. "Don't tell me that you're some long-lost brother of theirs."

"Don't be stupid," snapped the auburn-haired teenager. "I'm talking about me and Solidad. We're... kinda going out now, so aren't I an uncle or something?"

"If you stay with Solidad," said May softly, "you'll be the closest thing to a father that the baby will have."

Before Gary could respond, the door opened behind them. Solidad and Harley walked into the room; Harley looked pale, while Solidad looked slightly disgruntled.

"Harley's agreed to fund me and my baby," announced Solidad to the ward. "And if he breaks that promise, I will get my Arcanine to burn his ass and kick him to hell."

"Thanks," said Harley heavily. He turned to Jay. "Is Charlie awake yet?"

"Yes, I am, actually."

Charlie's voice ringed through Harley's head. He spun around to face his younger brother.

"Charlie!" he exclaimed. "You're awake!"

"Yeah, I am."

Charlie's voice wasn't cold, but it caused an uncomfortable silence to rise in the room. May, Drew and Gary found this a good chance to leave the ward to let the three siblings talk to each other.

"Remember," whispered May into Jay's ear as she brushed past him, "You have to tell Charlie about Dragonair."

She and the two boys slipped out of the room, and into the corridor outside.

"We should go to the Centre and make sure Ally's managed to get there," suggested May.

"Yeah. There's a chance that she's managed to get herself killed by a pedestrian, knowing her and her madness," said Drew, smirking. "Or maybe she crashed herself and Rapidash into a random lamp post."

"I'll stay here and wait for Solidad," replied Gary. He leaned against the wall. "You go on ahead. Here, take Nidoking's Pokeball so you can get home faster."

He pressed a Pokeball into Drew's palm.

"Thanks," said Drew, nodding. He turned to May. "C'mon, then."

...

...

"_What the hell!?_"

Ash's shriek ringed through Max's head. He sleepily opened his eyes, and looked up at Ash, who was standing next to him, looking furious.

"Ash? Man, Ash, can't you shut up, I'm trying to sleep..."

He looked at his watch. It was ten o' clock.

"Shut up!? _Shut up!?_"

Max suddenly remembered. Paul.

"Oh crap! Sorry, Ash, I forgot, I, uh, uhm..."

He scrambled out of his bed. Brock, Dawn and Paul were still asleep, and Ash was furiously staring at the latter, his face filled with murderous intent.

"How the hell did that asshole get his assholish ass into Dawn's sleeping bag!? OH MY GOD HE'S A PERVERT!"

Before Max could stop him, Ash kicked Paul hard on the shin. Paul was immediately awoken by a shot of pain spreading through his lower body, for Ash had kicked him on his sore ankle.

"For God's sake," snapped the violet-haired boy, "haven't you heard of alarm clocks!? There's no need to kick me to wake me up."

"I'd like to kick you straight out of this damn region," growled Ash. "I have two questions for you, ass. One; why are you here? Two; why are you in Dawn's sleeping bag, you freakin' pervert!?"

"I can't be bothered to explain," replied Paul. He shuffled back into the sleeping bag. "Let Wimpy explain."

And he fell asleep again; he had snuggled closer to Dawn, just to annoy Ash and Max more.

"Alright, Max," snapped Ash, turning to face the other black-haired boy. "Explain, or I'll stuff you into Brock's cooking pot and serve you as breakfast."

"Calm down, Ash," said Max nervously. "Fine, here's what happened; Dawn and I heard someone in the trees last night, and it turned out to be your rival, Paul. Dawn pretty much forced him to stay with us, because it was so cold. Dawn shared her sleeping bag with Paul, and I shared mine with her. Then, after Dawn fell asleep, Paul realized he'd left his backpack in the trees where we'd found him. So he and I went to the trees, and on the way back, he tripped over a rock and hurt his ankle, which you just kicked."

Max was pretty adept at lying.

"Oh, damn," muttered Ash, biting his lip. His blind fury was seemingly over, and now he seemed worried about the boy who lay fast asleep beside him. "I hope it ain't broken or something."

"Brock'll know," replied Max, sitting down beside Paul. He prodded the sleeping boy. "Oi, wake up."

Paul grumbled, and moodily awoke. "What now? Wanna kick my other foot?"

"Sorry about that," murmured Ash. "I was just surprised to find you here."

Paul snorted. "Well, don't worry. I'm leaving now, anyway."

He pulled back the sleeping bag, and got up to his feet. Unfortunately, his ankle was still in a bad condition, and he hissed in pain as he stumbled onto the snowy ground again.

"You're not going anywhere with that ankle," sighed Ash, kneeling beside Paul. "Max, go and wake up Brock so he can check out Paul's foot. I'll start up the fire and get some warm water to put on his ankle."

"Stop fussing over me," scowled Paul, but he was in too much pain to move from the ground.

A few minutes later, Brock was up and awake, and was sitting beside Paul, inspecting his damaged foot.

"It's not broken," he announced, tenderly feeling the swollen ankle, "but it's really badly sprained. It'll take a few days for it to stop swelling, and it won't be properly healed for at least a month."

"A month!" snarled Paul, outraged. "I can't limp around for a month!"

"You won't be on your own, though," said Ash, wrapping a cloth soaked in hot water around Paul's foot. "We're not letting you go off on your own in this condition."

"I am not staying with you," snapped Paul. "Just let me grab my backpack and I'll be out of here."

"You're not going anywhere," said Brock sternly. "If you strain your ankle too much, it'll break. You're staying here with us, where I can keep an eye on you."

Paul opened his mouth to argue, but Ash said, "We're going to Snowpoint City to battle Candice. If you stay with us, you can battle against her too, and we'll be able to look after you at the same time."

There was no point refusing; Paul accepted the fact that he wouldn't be able to run away from the others. He sighed. "Fine then. But the minute I can walk again, I'm outta here."

"We don't exactly like you," said Max coldly, "so we don't give a damn."

"I give a damn."

Dawn's voice piped up from behind everyone. She was sitting up from her sleeping bag, she seemed to be annoyed.

"Max, stop being mean," she scowled. Max blinked.

"Since when have you been awake?" he asked, bewildered.

"When Ash started to scream at Paul," replied Dawn curtly. "I couldn't be bothered to actually say anything until now. Max, you lied to Ash about how Paul hurt his ankle!"

"What!?" Ash barked. He turned to Max, glaring. "How did he hurt his ankle, then?"

Paul sighed from behind them. "Wimpy and I got into a battle, alright? And then his stupid Kirlia attacked me."

"Kirlia isn't stupid!" argued Max hotly. "Kirlia was Confused, you idiotic retard!"

"Don't call me an idiotic retard, you neurologically advanced brat!"

"Stop fighting, both of you!" snapped Brock. He faced Paul. "So you hurt your ankle when Kirlia attacked you while it was under Confusion?"

"Yeah," muttered Paul reluctantly. "As if it makes any difference."

"As a matter of fact," said Brock, biting his lip, "it does. When I was a kid, Onix accidentally crushed my wrist while we were playing. It took me five months to learn how to use it again."

"What the-!?" barked Paul, outraged. "Are you saying that I'm gonna be with you for five freakin' months!?"

"Maybe," shrugged Brock. "Maybe it was just the weight of Onix that damaged my wrist so much, but Pokemon are much more powerful than natural accidents."

"For God's sake," snapped Paul. "If Dawn hadn't forced me to stay with you retards, I'd be completely fine now."

"Except you'd be dead!" exclaimed Dawn angrily. "You would have frozen to death in that tree!"

"I'd rather be dead than be here with you for five months!"

"You cold-hearted jerk!"

"You pig-faced bitch!"

Max blinked. Didn't Drew and May call each other nicknames like that..?

"Ok, guys, shut the hell up," he said, standing between the bickering twosome. "You really need to calm down."

"Yeah, I agree with Max," said Ash, sighing. "Come on, breakfast time now. What're you making today, Brock?"

Brock and Ash turned away to help with the campfire and make some breakfast for everyone. Dawn reluctantly took over Ash's post of tending to Paul's leg.

"Sorry for calling you names," she muttered. Max sat beside her, and urged Paul to apologize in return.

"I am not saying sorry," said Paul firmly. "And stop drenching my foot in hot water."

Dawn snapped. She flung the wet rag at Paul's face, and stomped away, screeching, "I don't know why I even bother!"

Max glared at Paul. "She was only trying to help."

"I don't need any help," muttered Paul in return. "Once my foot is better, I am leaving for good. I'm fed up of the Sinnoh. I'm fed up of everything."

"I was fed up of everything too," said Max, sighing. He sat more comfortably on the melted-snow-covered grass. "I was desperate to be a trainer. But my dad kept saying no, wait another year, you're too young... so, I ran away from home. I regret not saying goodbye to my family, but journeying on my own for once was worth it."

Paul said nothing, but he stared steely at Max, his eyes full of cold curiosity.

"If I hadn't run away, I would've never met Dawn," continued Max, smiling softly. He stared dreamily at where Dawn stood beside the campfire, venting her anger into a poor innocent lump of wood.

"Why do you like her so much?" said Paul, frowning. "It's stupid."

"Everyone likes someone at some point in their lives," said Max. "Just like how Mom and Dad love each other, and your mom and dad love each other."

"I don't _have _any parents," muttered Paul suddenly. The atmosphere suddenly seemed to be much tenser and colder.

Max turned to face Paul and said softly, "You're... alone?"

"If you must know, my parents were killed in a freak accident. They got trampled to death by a Rampardos."

* * *

...I really have to stop ending chapters with cliffhangers... but I hate chapters that end like "Drew and May smiled at each other as they drank their hot chocolate." because THEY'RE BORING D: Anyway, sorry for people who don't like Paul, but please bear with me. He's going to go under major past-development.

The evil Rampardos returns... dun-dun-dunn... but is it the same Rampardos!? OH MY GOD HAVE THEY BEEN BREEDING!?

Rampardos's Death List: Dorian, Paul's parents, Charlie's arm. Find out what's happened to Dragonair in the next chapter.

I'm never gonna finish this bloody fanfic, am I? It keeps dragging on D: But eh, who cares, people like my fanfic for some retarded reason! Yay! And it's all thanks to my toe! Yeah, that sounds weird. I broke my toe last year, so while I was off school, I discovered Contestshipping. I read some fanfics, so I decided to write my own. Sadly, that fanfic sucked, to I deleted it. Then I started to write Love Beats Everything (I HATE THE NAME BUT I CAN'T CHANGE IT BECAUSE I LOVE IT SO MUCH NOW ARGHHHHH POO) and it was fairly unpopular at first. But by the time I had writted Chapyer 10, I had about 70 reviews! And here I am, at Chapyer 20, with over 250 reviews! SO DANG HAPPY! Thank you, my lovely readers. YOU ALL BLOODY DESERVE MEDALS. -Throws medals at you- AHAHAHAHAHAH! Yes, I'm crazy today.

REVIEW PLEASE :D Or I will jam a pot of marmalede up your ass, and get Harley to bang you.

**EDIT!: Hmm. I'm editing a few minutes after posting this chapter. Oh well. Anywayy, as I was reading this chapter, I noticed that I somtimes refer Pokemon as a 'he' or 'she', but sometimes I say 'it'. I'll try my best to refer the Pokemon as a he or she now, except for Pokemon such as Ditto or Magnemite, who are genderless. Now, I am off to do the Caramelldansen in the middle of the street because I am bored. I should get some excellent reactions from my neighbours.**


	21. Chapter 21 : Return To The Fountain

* * *

Alas, I am alive! Gah, I just finished writing this, and it's half past two in the morning. Gah. I would like to apologize so much for the lateness of this chapter. I am so sorry. I've been suffering from major writer's block recently, but I'm happy to say that my imagination has returned! I also had trouble writing because of several reasons:

1. Homework.

2. GCSEs.

3. Tests and exams.

4. Work.

5. The music show (which turned out to be fabulous!).

6. My laptop deleted this chapter about four times before I could actually complete it.

7. Music lessons.

8. Stalking my crush.

9. Stalking him again.

10. Receiving several restraining orders from him.

Ahh, there we go! Plenty of excuses, which you will all probably ignore. :D

After reclaiming my imagination, I must say that this chapter is quite adorable. Well, the start is a bit... ngyehh, but the rest is fabulous. As you all know, I quite like dramatic stuff (Death, injuries, accidents etc.), so this chapter is a bit of a change.

By the way; do you guys _like _my little (huge) author notes? If not, please tell me! Sometimes I can see that writing author notes can be annoying, but I can't help it! It makes me feel like I'm connecting with all my loyal little fans (oh crap, I sound like the bloody Queen).

I've received quite a lot of emails and reviews saying, "You're British!?" Lmfao! I then noticed that 90% of my reviewers are from America or Canada. Barely no one from Wales, let alone England! I never knew that British fanfic authors were so rare... xD

Well, my fantastic little readers! Here's the twenty-first chapter! Merry Late Christmas, and a Happy Early New Year (:

* * *

The afternoon sun glimmered over the magnificent city of Goldenrod, its rays reflecting on the shining river which snaked through the buildings. It was a beautiful day, and many tourists had come to visit Goldenrod with two objectives; visit the amazing shops, which were the main reason of Goldenrod's popularity, and watch the final round of the yearly Goldenrod Contest.

"I've heard that the winner of the Kanto Grand Festival is in the final six," the visitors would whisper to each other.

"I'm sure that the grandson of Professor Oak is there too!"

"Really? I thought he was a researcher, like his grandfather!"

"Maybe he decided to be a Co-ordinator instead."

"My, my, this year's Contest sure does have a good final six!"

Drew and May were standing nearby the little group of tourists, who were chattering to each other, in hushed tones for some reason.

"Hmm," scowled May, frowning at the tourists. "They know a lot about Solidad and Gary, yet they know nothing about us!"

"Stop eavesdropping," replied Drew, sighing, although he too had been listening to the feverish tourists. "It doesn't matter if we're not famous or popular. What matters is our strength and talent as a Co-ordinator."

"I suppose," murmured May reluctantly. "Man, how far is this Pokemon Centre? Ally said it was close to the hospital!"

"Ally also thinks that the sun is close to the Earth," said Drew, smirking slightly. "Anyway, we've only been walking for an hour –"

"An hour!"

"-so we should be close by now."

They quickened their pace, but just as they were leaving the little plaza where they and the tourists were, one of the tourists suddenly said, "Oh! That green-haired kid from Hoenn is there too, isn't he?"

"Oh yeah! My, he's a handsome boy! Wasn't he the one who was second in the Hoenn Grand Festival?"

"Yes, I think! That reminds me, the daughter of the Petalburg City Gym Leader in Hoenn is in the final six too! She came second against the winner of the Kanto Grand Festival!"

"Wow! The Goldenrod Contest sounds more exciting than the Pokemon League!"

May felt herself glow with pride as she grinned at Drew.

"They know me! Oh my God, I'm famous!" she squealed.

"There's a fine line between famous and 'the girl who was second in the Kanto Grand Festival'," muttered Drew. He was feeling slightly irked, for he had been referred as 'the green-haired kid'.

"Aww, don't be such a spoilsport, Drew! At least they called you handsome."

"You'd be annoyed if you were always recalled as the kid with green hair," grumbled Drew. May, seemingly just to irritate him more, ruffled his hair.

"Ah, Drew, your hair is your trademark!" she grinned. "Don't you dare dye it," she added in an undertone, narrowing her eyes.

"But I think brown or black hair would really suit me..."

"No, Drew. Black will match with your shirt, and your clothes are _so_ not supposed to match your hair. So black is a no-no. And brown is _my _hair colour!"

"I'm sure you could share."

"No!"

Drew glared at May, but then sighed. "I suppose you're right. I can't change my hair; it's part of who I am."

"That's more like it," smiled May, ruffling Drew's hair again, who smacked her hand away. He swiftly flicked the part of his hair which kept settling between his two emerald eyes.

"Come on then," he said. They walked on, and left the tourists behind them. As they turned around a corner, they saw that they had reached the main shopping centre.

"Aha!" exclaimed May suddenly, pointing her finger. "There it is!"

Right next to the rather large Pokemon Mart stood the Pokemon Centre, sparkling in the sunlight of the afternoon. The vast rotating Pokeball spun around and around from its perch, above the doorway of the Centre. Rushing through the shoppers and tourists, they barged their way to the centre, pausing briefly to gaze at the magnificence of the Pokemon Centre.

"Pretty extravagant for a centre, eh?" said Drew, watching the massive Pokeball roll in its place.

They hurried inside. The reception area was relatively empty, except for a cap-wearing Chansey and one of the infinite Nurse Joys.

"Hello!" greeted the shocking-pink-haired woman, smiling warmly at the two young Co-ordinators. "How may I help?"

"Have you seen a girl with light brown hair and a Dragonair come in here?" asked Drew, leaning towards the nurse.

"Why, yes, I have," said Nurse Joy. "She said that the Dragonair belongs to a friend of hers. Are you the owner of the Dragonair?"

"No." Drew shook his head. "Dragonair's Master is in hospital right now."

"Oh my!" breathed Nurse Joy, covering her gasping mouth with her hand. "Is Dragonair's Master alright?"

"Well, he's paralyzed his arm, you see," said May quietly. "He's going to be in hospital for quite a while."

"Dragonair got hurt in the same accident as her Master," continued Drew. "We've been sent here to make sure Dragonair is alright."

"Dragonair is in intensive care at the moment. Don't worry, she's recovering nicely," added the nurse.

"That's good," said May, sighing in relief. "Apparently, Dragonair is Charlie's most prized Pokemon."

The door to the side of the room opened as May spoke. Through it emerged Ally, looking rather cheerful.

"Oh, hi guys!" she chirped, bouncing up to her friends. "Since when were you here?"

Before any of them could answer, she continued, "Dragonair's doing great! She's already moving around, although I had to stop her from moving too much because apparently she has internal bleeding or something, but Nurse Joy says she'll heal in time, so that's okay, isn't it? Oh, how's Charlie? Has he woken up yet? I don't know if he's awake or not, 'cause I left the room to take Dragonair here... is he awake then? Oh God, he must be horrified about his arm! I wonder how he's taking it... Oh, I wonder if he's angry with Harley! Oh, could he be angry with Jay, too? After all, Jay wasn't exactly a fantastic brother to him, but hell, brothers love each other, don't they? Well, I don't like my brother much, 'cause he never talks. Then again, my sisters talk waaay too much, so maybe Cody is my favourite sibling, because my sisters never shut up!"

There was a slight pause.

"Shut up, Ally."

...

...

The chilly winter wind of Snowpoint blew through the young travellers' hair as they made their way up to the snowy city. They would arrive in Snowpoint by nightfall, if they were in luck. Max, Dawn, Brock and Ash had to walk slowly now, for Paul was having great difficulty in catching up. He had often attempted to sneak away from the group, but he was in too much pain to run. By mid-afternoon, his ankle throbbed so much that Ash sent Max to act as Paul's walking stick.

"What!?" shrieked Max, outraged. "Why me?!"

"You're the shortest out of us," explained Ash. "Paul needs someone shorter than him to lean on, you see."

"Dawn's shorter than me!"

This was true; over the past few months of travelling in Sinnoh, Max had grown much taller, and was almost as tall as Ash himself.

"I am not letting Paul get his filthy hands anywhere near Dawn!" growled Ash. He had not forgotten that Paul had been sleeping in the same sleeping bag as Dawn, who was several years younger than him.

Max eventually had to give up. Grunting, he trudged towards Paul.

"I don't need any help," muttered Paul, glaring at Max. "Especially not from you, Wimpy."

As he said this, his ankle caught on a sharp rock, and, hissing in pain, he stumbled forwards and clung onto Max's shoulder for support.

"Looks like you _do _need my help, Limpy," smirked Max, shifting his and Paul's weight so he could walk more comfortably.

Paul deliberately walked at a painfully slow pace, just to annoy Max. After half an hour of trudging along like a snail, Max snapped "If you don't speed up, I'll tie a rope around you and get Swinub to drag you instead."

The silver-haired teen glared at Max, but obeyed. He walked at a faster pace. Ash, Dawn and Brock were a few yards ahead, so they couldn't hear Max and Paul bickering as they trundled together.

"Why won't you just leave me alone, Wimpy?" snapped Paul, as Max continued to aid as a walking stick.

"I'd love to dump you on the ground and let you freeze to death in the snow," grumbled Max, "but sadly, Dawn will kill me."

"Jesus, why do you care so much about that girl?" replied Paul, rolling his onyx eyes.

"You can't fool me, Paul," said Max, shaking his hair of the few snowflakes that had landed there. "I know you like her."

"You don't know anything," said Paul coolly. "You're just a stupid little kid."

"I may be a little kid," replied Max, "but I'm not stupid. I know you like Dawn, so why won't you admit it?"

"I don't like anyone, especially that whiny girl," said Paul in a bored tone.

"Dawn's not whiny. You're the whiny one."

Paul paused. He turned to Max.

"Oh really?" he said, smirking slightly. "Go on, then. Attempt to insult me more."

"Don't worry, I will," snapped Max. "You're horrible. You're cold. You don't care about anyone except for yourself. You're selfish, sarcastic and generally, you're a bastard. I'm sure your parents were glad to be killed; they were finally free of you!"

Cold fury appeared in Paul's dark eyes.

"I'm a bastard, eh?" said Paul, his eyes now alive with angry emotions. "I'm a bastard, yet you're the one that just insulted the death of my parents."

"Paul, I didn't mean that-,"

"Shut up, Wimpy. I've always thought that people were trash, yeah? But you're by far the biggest pile of shit I've ever met."

Max's eyes met Paul's, and they glared at each other for a few seconds, before Max broke the connection by looking away and snapping, "Let's just forget that this happened. If Dawn finds out that we've been fighting again, then we're both dead."

Paul said nothing as the two of them started to walk again. Dawn, Ash, Brock and Pikachu were still in sight, but they were too far for Max and Paul to catch up with them.

"I can see Snowpoint, I think," said Max quietly, after long moments of silence. "Can you see it?"

"Yeah. We'll be there by nightfall."

It was odd; shouting insults at each other earlier had seemingly broken the ice between them. Max still disliked Paul greatly, but the hate within him was slowly dying. He felt sorry for Paul; after all, his parents were dead.

"I remember when my dad went to Snowpoint City," said Max suddenly, smiling at the memory. "He bought souvenir gym badges for me and my sister, but May stole mine and sold it to our neighbour."

Paul was silent for a few moments, before saying, "My brother gave me a souvenir badge from here, too."

"You have a brother?"

Max was surprised; Paul had actually conversed normally with Max, and he had revealed that he in fact had a brother.

"Yeah."

"How old is he?"

"Nineteen. He's a Pokemon Breeder."

"Oh! Like Brock, huh?"

"He's nothing like Brock," said Paul, his lip curling. "Reggie is far better."

"I'd like to meet him someday," smiled Max. "Does he look after you now?"

"I don't need anyone to look after me," snapped Paul, but then added, "but he watches out for me."

The two boys fell silent again. Max no longer hated Paul; he felt almost friendly towards him. He looked up towards the sky: the sun was sinking deeper into the mountain points, and light was fading from the sky.

"I think I can walk on my own now," said Paul suddenly. Both he and Max stopped walking, and he tenderly leaned on his damaged ankle. He hissed slightly in pain, but he was stable.

"You sure you're alright?"

"I'm fine..." said Paul, as they started to walk again. He then added, barely a murmur, "Thanks, Wimpy."

"No problem, Limpy."

...

...

"Six servings of Ally's Hot Chocolate Suprise coming up!" called Ally's voice from the kitchen. All six of the Co-ordinators were in Drew and May's bedroom; May and Solidad were perched on a bed, while Drew, Jay and Gary were sprawled over the carpet. Drew and Gary had originally been sitting on the other bed, but Ally had taken command of the bed and had pushed the two boys onto the ground. Although Ally was no longer in the room, Drew and Gary felt safer on the ground. Jay was dozing lightly; he had barely slept the previous night.

"Don't use too much chocolate, Ally," warned Solidad. "We don't want you getting hyper again."

"But I like being hyper!" echoed Ally's voice from the kitchen.

"Man, I'm so freakin' excited about the contest!" grinned Gary, nudging Drew with his elbow. "You?"

"I'm not excited, 'cause I know I'm gonna win anyway," shrugged Drew with a smirk. May tossed a pillow at him.

"Arrogance!" she said, rolling her eyes.

"Actually, May, it's 'confidence'," contradicted Drew, still smirking. May threw another pillow at him.

"You'll never win, Drew," she said, "because I'm gonna win!"

"Who's being cocky now, eh?" sneered Drew. May, because she had run out of pillows, instead pushed Solidad off the bed, causing the redhead to land on top of Drew.

"What the hell are you two doing?" shrieked Ally as she re-entered the room with a tray of hot chocolate drinks. "I don't want any gang bangs on the carpet, thanks!"

Gary and May roared in laughter as Drew and Solidad got up from the ground, looking furious at May.

"May, you are _dead!"_

Before any of them could do anything, Jay groggily snapped, "Will you all just shut the hell up?"

Drew fell onto May's bed, looking disgruntled. He grumbled, "Solidad's heavier than she looks."

"Thanks," replied Solidad cynically, perching herself beside Gary, who was still chuckling.

Drew stretched his limbs, yawning. "I'm tired."

"You ain't sleeping on my bed, mister," said May, nudging the green-haired youth. "Get into your own bed."

"Too... tired... to move..." said Drew, mocking sleepiness. "Pillow... so... comfy..."

"Hey! Seeing as it's our last night here," said Ally suddenly, "let's have a sleepover!"

"Yes!" squealed May. Gary jerked his head up.

"Sleepover, you say?" he said, his eyes bright. "Can we have a pillow fight?!"

"..Why?" said Drew slowly, raising from May's bed.

"Dude. Think about it: three hot girls wearing skimpy nightclothes having a pillow fight."

"Pervert," grumbled Solidad, kicking Gary in the shin.

"Well, I think a sleepover is a good idea, as long as Gary doesn't turn into a paedophile," smiled May, as Ally handed her a mug of hot chocolate. "But where will we all sleep?"

"Eh, I'm happy on the carpet," shrugged Gary, sprawling his legs on the floor. Solidad nodded.

"Hell, it's kinda comfy down here!"

"Poor Jay is exhausted," said Ally softly, "so he can sleep on Drew's bed."

"What?!" said Drew, enraged. "Where am I supposed to sleep, then?"

"You can share May's bed. I've seen you do it before in my house, anyway."

Gary propped up his head. "Oh? Drew and May in the same bed?"

"Yeah! They looked so _cute..._"

Both Drew and May were staring in a horrified manner at Ally.

"So, are you two a couple?" asked Gary, turning to face them.

"No!" shrieked May, and she hastily pushed Drew off her bed. "He's _older _than me!"

"By six months!" snapped Drew as he landed heavily on the ground. "It's not like I'm a forty year old paedophile."

"Well, we all know you're a pervert," smirked Gary. "Remember this morning's incident, Drew?"

"Incident?" grumbled Jay from the floor. He rubbed his eyes, and sat up. "What incident?

"Greenie here managed to grope May!" chuckled Gary.

"That's just... weird," replied the black-haired youth, yet he smiled slightly. "You must've been in the same bed to manage to do that, Drew."

"Oh yeah!" said Ally slowly. "Jesus, guys, you _must_ be a couple!"

"We're not," scowled May, folding her arms. "We're merely travelling with each other."

"Misty and Ash fell in love each while they were travelling," shrugged Gary. "Maybe the same will happen to you two."

"Ash would kill you if he heard you saying that!" said May, frowning.

"Why? It's obvious that he loves Misty."

"Who're Ash and Misty?" asked Ally, cocking her head as she sipped some of her hot chocolate.

"I used to travel with Ash, and Misty also used to travel with him," explained May. "Brock told me that they bickered constantly, but by the end of their journey in the Johto region, they were practically in love with each other."

"Look, can't we talk about something else?" said Drew bad-temperedly, clambering back onto May's bed. He grabbed a mug of hot chocolate and sipped it. "The contest is tomorrow; let's talk about that."

"Tryin' to change the subject, eh, Greenie?" smirked Gary, but he stopped teasing anyway.

"My family's coming to watch me tomorrow," grinned Ally, squealing in delight. "Cody, Ellie, Fifi and Mom!"

"What about your dad?" quizzed Drew. "Oh, he's probably staying on the farm, huh?"

"Yeah," said Ally. "Ever since Harley destroyed the fences that kept our Mareep in place, Dad's been busy fixin' the farm and-,"

She stopped hastily as Jay's onyx eyes widened and gazed at her.

"What?" he said sharply. "Harley did what?"

"Nothing," muttered Ally. "Forget what I said."

But Jay was now sitting up, and he repeated, "What did Harley _do_, Ally?"

"He has this stupid rivalry with May and I," explained Drew, sitting on the floor beside Jay. "When we were staying in Ally's house, Harley popped up and turned off the power supply of the farm. He then released all of Ally's Mareep, causing havoc. But Ally's sister managed to find the Mareep again, so it was alright in the end."

"That... bastard!" snarled Jay, his eyes wide in disbelief. "I almost forgave him!"

The room was silent for a few moments, before Gary said, "I don't know much about Harley. I only met him yesterday. But there's something about him that makes me worry."

"He's lost his parents, and he thought his brothers were lost to him forever," said Solidad quietly, looking up at Jay. "Listen to me, Jay. When I met Harley, he seemed to be an incredibly kind guy. The harsh shadow he hides behind is just a shield. Losing his parents was an awful ordeal for him. He's the oldest out of the three of you, so he remembers your parents the best."

"I admit it, I can't remember Mom and Dad at all," muttered Jay," but I just lost Typhlosion, and you don't see me rampaging about, trying to kill everything in sight."

Ally, Drew and May continued to explain to Jay of Harley's past antics, while Solidad shook her head, murmuring to herself. Jay grew increasingly angry towards his oldest brother, and took his frustration out on Gary's leg.

"For God's sake, Jay, get the hell off my leg!" shrieked Gary as Jay punched his leg for the fifth time. "If you're so angry at your brother, go beat him up! And leave me and my leg out of it!"

"Sorry," mumbled Jay, flopping down onto the carpet beside Gary, his face glum. "It's just that I hate Harley so much for what he's done, but I just can't stand hurting his feelings."

"No offense, but shut the hell up," grumbled Gary back. "Moaning about stuff ain't gonna make you feel better. Just go up to Harley and talk to him, damnit. Is it really that hard?"

"You wouldn't know. You don't have any brothers."

"What makes you think that?"

"Well? Do you?"

"...No. But really, Jay, you should talk to Harley. Talk to Charlie, too. It'll make all three of you feel better, eh?"

"I think it's best to not talk to your brothers," said May softly from her bed. "Especially Charlie. He's just found out that he's unable to use his arm; he's gonna need some time on his own to get used to it."

"Harley's gone now, anyway," muttered Jay. "He's gone to La Rousse."

Drew sat up, his eyes suddenly sharp.

"What? He's in La Rousse?"

"Well, on his way-,"

"He's such a bastard!" snapped Drew loudly, causing May to flinch.

"Drew, don't get so worked up, please..." said May, resting her palm on the back of Drew's hand. This soothed him slightly.

"Harley went to La Rousse to visit Dorian's grave," said Jay quietly, his onyx eyes meeting with Drew's emerald ones. "He doesn't know that Dorian was your brother, Drew."

"But still... he's left Charlie..." muttered Drew, his voice softer now.

"I'm here for Charlie."

Despite his anger, Drew smiled slightly at Jay. Although he was still in pain, emotional-wise, Jay still cared for his brothers. Drew respected him.

Solidad and Ally looked at each other, and then grinned.

"Excellent! Everyone has finally calmed down," chirped Ally, her eyes shining.

"Indeed, my friend!" agreed Solidad, speaking with an odd English accent for some reason. "Shall we begin having fun now, old bean?"

"Ah yes, most certainly!" said Gary with a grin, joining in. "We shall definitely have some fun now. Jay, old chap, would you mind joining me in a pillow fight?"

Jay was silent for a few seconds, before squealing, "Oh yes, my friend! It sounds delightfully joyous!"

Laughing, Gary grabbed Solidad's pillow (causing her to lose her balance and topple over) and started to attack Jay with it. Jay, in return, grabbed Drew's pillow and started to thrust it in Gary's face.

"Oho! What a magnificent battle this is!" laughed May, also adopting the odd English accent. "I believe I shall join! But sadly, it seems that we are out of pillows. Jay, Gary, you have destroyed our only pillows, you twits."

Her words were true; feathers were delicately falling about, causing everyone to sneeze in-between giggles.

Back in her normal accent, Solidad said, "I'll go get some pillows from my room. Ally, coming? We need to get our nightclothes and stuff, too."

"Alright!"

The girls scrambled out of the room, still laughing. Jay suggested that he and Gary should go get some pillows and nightclothes too, although Gary protested by saying, "I sleep in the nude."

May shrieked, "You're wearing pyjamas whether you like it or not, you pervert!" before pushing both Jay and Gary out of the room, leaving her alone with Drew.

"So, you alright, Drew?" she said, sitting down beside the green-haired boy.

"Yeah, I'm alright now," he said, smiling softly. "I always feel better when I'm with people. Especially you, May."

May froze; her face slightly blushed.

"Y-yeah. I like your company too, Drew," she said, squeezing his hand. Drew cast his eyes on her.

"In what way? More than a friend?" he said. He bit his lip slightly, and then added, "Because I think I lo-,"

The door burst open; both Jay and Gary collapsed into the room, wrestling each other rather aggressively yet playfully, with Solidad and Ally laughing in a delighted manner behind them.

"You're wearing pyjamas, and that's final!" Jay was yelling, slamming Gary into the wall.

"Never!" shouted Gary back, thrusting Jay onto the floor and comically body-slapping him. "You've forced me to wear pyjamas the past two days, but I ain't doin' it again!"

"Why not!? There's nothing wrong with wearing pants at night, you retard!"

"I like my privets to be free, thank you!"

"You're disgusting! I'm not sleeping in the same room as a nudist!"

That comment caused both Drew and May to burst into tears of laughter. Jay looked up at Gary, who was tittering slightly, and also started to laugh. Soon, all six Co-ordinators were screeching with laughter for several minutes.

Eventually, they calmed down enough to speak properly.

"I can't even remember what's so funny!" giggled Ally, wiping a tear from her eye.

"Goth here called me a nudist!" reminded Gary, jerking his head at the still-laughing Jay.

"Nudist!" shrieked Solidad, bursting into peals of laughter again. "That's your new name, alright!"

"Oh, fine," scowled Gary. "I'll wear pants. But I ain't wearing a top."

"Good enough for me," grinned Jay.

"Topless Gary... oh my, Jay and I might turn gay at the sight of you," smirked Drew, waggling his eyebrows in a mock-sexy manner. In reply, Gary attacked Drew with one of Ally's pillows.

"Fight me, worthy advisory!" he said, leaping onto Drew's bed, causing May to topple off and land with a bump on Ally.

"Oh, alright!" said Drew, smiling cheerfully. May was relieved to see that Drew was finally starting to act normally (well, weirdly) again. But what had he been trying to say earlier...? She blushed at the thought.

Looking up, she saw Gary and Drew were standing on the bed, and springing about wildly with a pillow in each hand, whacking each other while laughing.

Suddenly, May felt a huge blow to her head; spinning around, she saw Solidad standing there, grinning sheepishly with a pillow swinging from her arm.

"Oh, it's on!" said May, her eyes glinting. She tugged one of Gary's pillows out of his hand, and both she and Solidad collapsed onto the floor, squealing as they attacked each other. May accidentally hit Jay's head, so he too decided to join in, and somehow, Ally got dragged into the fight too. Up on the bed, Drew lost his balance and toppled over, grabbing Gary as he fell. The two boys landed on the pile of people and pillows beneath them, and there was soon a free-for-all pillow fight going on. They eventually had to stop when all but three pillows had exploded in a haze of feathers.

" Oh God... that was fun..." sighed Solidad, lying down on the carpet while flicking feathers off her hair.

"I agree so much," nodded Jay. "Bizarre, really. I used to hate pillow fights. But it was fun with you guys," he smiled.

"Yeah," smiled Drew, his emerald eyes alive with happiness. "Definitely a night to remember."

"I think we've all tired ourselves out now," giggled May, as she saw Jay snuggle into one of the remaining pillows, snuffling like a small child as he grew sleepier. "Come on! Bed!"

"Ooh, if you say so, May, darling," said Gary, growling in what he thought was a sexy manner.

"Oi, no flirting with the opposition!" warned Solidad. "Remember; we're all gonna be going against each other tomorrow!"

"Well, technically, we're going against each other _today. _It's one-thirty a.m.," exclaimed Ally, looking at her watch.

"Ah. Well. I suppose we should get some sleep," said Drew, slightly sheepishly.

"Alright. Girls change in the bathroom. Boys change in the bedroom," commanded May. She grabbed her nightclothes, and ushered Ally and Solidad into the bathroom, and locked the door closed.

Jay immediately dived under the bedclothes to change into his pyjamas, whilst Drew and Gary confidently stripped in front of each other. To make Jay feel more nervous and uncomfortable, they decided to throw in some homosexual flirting.

"Drew... your soft green hair looks wonderful against your lovely skin..."

"Gary, darling! Your eyes light my heart up like a thousand candles!"

"Oh Drew!"

"Oh Gary!"

"STOP IT!" shrieked Jay, emerging from the bed in his pyjama pants and black t-shirt which said, "Do Not Disturb".

"Hah, we were just messing around with you," smirked Gary, ruffling Jay's spiky black hair. "Your face was hilarious!"

"Shut up," scowled Jay. He clambered back into the bed, and buried himself deep in the rosy-smelling covers. He was surprised when Ally emerged from the bathroom and dive-bombed onto the bed in her skimpy lilac nightgown, and snuggled in beside him. After whispering sweet nothings to each other, Jay wrapped his arms around Ally (carefully avoiding her neon-pink plaster cast) and they settled in to sleep.

"Sweet!" exclaimed May as she came out of the bathroom, wearing her fluffy bunny slippers. Solidad also emerged, and she had tied her hair into a ponytail, so it wouldn't get tangled as she slept on the floor.

"Aren't they a bit young to be sleeping in the same bed as each other?" she asked, as she lay down on the carpet beside Gary, who wrapped a few blankets around her.

"Heck," said Gary, "if Drew and May do these sort of things, then why shouldn't Ally and Jay?"

"Well, Drew is slightly older then Jay and Ally... you're thirteen, aren't you, Drew?"

"Uh, yeah. May's nearly thirteen, too."

"Excuse me, but I'm nearly fourteen," scowled Jay, raising his head from Ally's hair.

"Ally's only twelve, or something!" retorted Gary. "I am fifteen, so ha. And Solidad is sixteen."

"And pregnant," reminded Drew darkly.

Gary ignored Drew's remark, and lay down beside Solidad, wrapping his arms around her waist. In May's eyes, it was clear that Gary loved Solidad.

Drew sighed softly to himself, and settled down into his bed. May slowly and nervously climbed into the bed beside him. She was surprised when Drew wrapped an arm around her, and pulled her into the soft fabric of his t-shirt.

"Drew," she exclaimed softly, her sapphire eyes looking up at him. He smiled mysteriously back at her.

"When everyone's asleep," he whispered, keeping his mysterious air, "get up and put your coat and shoes on."

May opened her mouth to ask questions, but Drew pressed his finger to her lips, indicating her to be quiet.

"It's a secret."

He smiled mischievously again, and then closed his eyes. May knew he wasn't asleep; when Drew was asleep, his breathing would grow much softer and sweeter.

She heard the other Co-ordinators fall asleep, gently one by one. After an hour of complete silence, only she and Drew were still awake.

"Drew?" she whispered, gently nudging the boy. "Drew!"

Drew's eyes flickered open, and glinted in the darkness. He swiftly yet silently got up from his bed, and pulled on his jeans and jacket. He indicated May to do the same.

A few minutes later, he took hold of her hand and opened the door, and led her out.

"Drew, where are we going?"

"You'll see."

The two of them scurried down the corridor, treading quietly past Annabelle's room. They made their way down the grand staircase of the main hall, where they had been standing just a day ago, ready to go to their ball.

"The mess we made here is gone..." noticed May. She was surprised when her voice echoed in the large room.

"The paramedics cleared it up. I think Jay paid them."

"Ah."

May and Drew proceeded down the staircase, and walked up to the elegant doorway which led to the ballroom. He pushed the door open, and it creaked eerily in the darkness of the night.

"Come on!"

He entered the enormous ballroom, which was completely empty except for the two of them. May shivered slightly in her hastily-worn coat and bunny slippers. Drew squeezed her hand slightly, and then hurried across the vast room, May following him closely. He reached the double glass-doors which marked the entrance to the outside garden.

As he reached his hand for the doorknob, he smiled softly at May, who's face was reddening in the darkness. Drew opened the door, and, still lightly holding her hand, he made his way into the freezing cold night, closing the door behind him.

It was a cloudless night; the moonlight shimmered on the water of the fountain, casting all sorts of glimmers and soft patterns. Petals were falling from the trees, delicately cascading into the rippling water. The fountain itself seemed to be shining in the dark light.

"May... we were here last night. We sat right next to this fountain... we talked, we were happy, and heck, we even fell into the fountain," said Drew, his voice low and tender.

May stared wide-eyed at Drew.

"But there's one thing we didn't do."

He leaned towards May, his eyes never looking away from hers.

"This."

He brushed his lips against hers, holding her closely in his arms as if he never wanted to let go of her again. The calming tinkle of the fountain was faded away into the night as the two young Co-ordinators finally did what they had wanted to do since they had realized their feelings.

"I love you, May."

* * *

Finally. Just finally. I've been dying to write those words.

This isn't the last chapter, my lovelies. I'm planning on writing at least fifty more chapters.

xD

Whoah, 280-something reviews! Thank you! You're all fantastic, marvellous, delightful and AWESOME.

:D

So... review, or I shall get my cat to eat your intestines and use them as a skipping rope. As you do.


	22. Chapter 22 : The Contest

* * *

Only a few months late. Well, a year, technically, seeing as I posted the last chapter back in '08. Oh well! I'm very sorry for being so damn late. I know it's an over-used excuse, but exams have been driving my insane little brain even more insane than usual. But I still managed to write a few pages of this chapter every week or so. During my Maths exam (I finished with an hour to spare; t'was very boring), I plotted out exactly what I was going to do in this chapter. And here it is: all twenty-something pages of it. Good lord I write a lot. Anyway, I'm getting seriously annoyed with all my OCs in this story. Mainly with Ally. I quite like Jay and Charlie, although I wish I'd chosen a different name for Jay, 'cause "May and Jay" sounds so freaking cheesy. Even more cheesy than cheese strings and Babybel mixed up in a bowl. I should've called him Alex or something. Then again, Ally's real name is Alexandra. Oh the confusion!

Right, in this chapter, there is a fair bit of swearing, mainly on Paul's behalf. And Swinub. Oh Swinub, you dirty little thing.

Disclaimer: The day I own Pokemon will be the day that Hell freezes over, pigs start to fly, and my laptop marries the Queen.

Enjoy! Well, if you don't enjoy it, er, sorry. It's two in the morning for God's sake! D:

Okay, okay, here's the chapter. I hope you like it. Perhaps it'd be a good idea to read a bit of Chapter 21 again to remember wtf is going on.

OH YEAH. I was supposed to dedicate this chapter to someone. But I forgot who. I'll dedicate it to the person tomorrow, I'm far too tired to remember what's my own name right now. I'm amazed that I'm still typing.

* * *

No words could describe how May felt as her widened eyes stared at Drew. He had just confessed that he was in love with her. Was this... a dream?

But before she could react, she could hear what sounded like a stampede coming towards the fountain where the two of them stood. Spinning around, she saw that there _was _a stampede coming towards them; but a stampede made out of Pokemon who were squealing and crying in pure joy.

"BLAZIKEN!" shrieked the tallest of the stampede, throwing himself onto May and hugging her fiercely. "Blaziken Blaziken Blaziken!"

Meanwhile, Drew was being bombarded by Absol, Roselia and the rest of his team, who were embracing each and every limb on his body.

"What the-?!" he said, astounded, pushing Flygon off his arm. "How did you guys get out here?"

"Fly Fly! Flygon, Fly Flygon Gon!" (We knew you'd confess tonight! We just knew it! We just had to follow you out here!)

"Absol Absol Abs Sol Absol!" (How long did it take for you to bloody confess, Drewy? Two years?)

"Bree Butterfree Free!" (Oh, it doesn't matter! They're finally together!)

"Beauti Beauti!" (Ok, guys, we have to control ourselves.)

All the Pokemon (except for Blaziken, who was still clutching May in his fiery arms as he wept in joy) got up and disappeared as quickly as they had appeared. Absol came speeding back, smacked Blaziken over the head with his claws, and dragged the giant bird back to the mansion through the ballroom doors, leaving both Drew and May completely and utterly confused, but amused.

"So, they've been waiting," said Drew softly. He turned to look at May with his sharp emerald eyes. "Will I have to wait for you?"

May, still numb from the shock of being pounced on by her Blaziken, shook her head. "No," she said.

Drew stared at her, his face questioning.

"I don't like you, Drew."

A thousand knives seemed to pierce Drew's chest as he heard those words. He felt sick. He felt like he was falling down a deep and dark pit, cascading never-endingly through the caged air...

Without a word, he turned away, feeling embarrassed and humiliated. He'd just told May that he was in love with her. He had just kissed her. And she had rejected him.

But May raised her arm and placed her hand on his shoulder, causing him to turn around to face her with sad, but confused eyes.

"I don't like you, Drew," she repeated slowly, "because I love you."

A sincere smile of pure relief and happiness took its place on Drew's face, and he wrapped his arms around May and buried his head into her sweet-smelling hair. May laughed, locking her arms around his neck gently.

"You thought I was going to reject you, didn't you?" she said, a mischievous note in her voice.

"I did," admitted Drew, raising his head and looking down at her. "I honestly did."

"Well, let me prove to you that I really do love you," said May, a coy smile on her face. She leant upwards, and pushed her lips onto his in a sweet kiss. Drew felt how her lips moved against his in a smooth arch, sending shivers down his spine. He'd never imagined that such a perfect moment would ever occur to him.

...

...

"Wake up."

Charlie winced as he felt someone poke their finger into his cheek. He blearily opened a sleepy eye and saw a boy around his age standing beside him; not bothering to find out who this boy was, he closed his eyes again and mumbled he was sleepy.

"Oh no. You ain't going to sleep on me, mister."

And with a quick '_fwip!' _noise, the random boy smacked Charlie hard on the head. With an outraged groan, Charlie sat up in his bed, rubbing his forehead. "What the heck was that for?!" he demanded, glaring at the boy. The boy shrugged.

"Breakfast," he simply said, dumping a tray of porridge and an apple onto Charlie's lap, narrowly avoiding his wounded arm.

"You smack me on the head so I can eat some porridge?" grumbled Charlie, staring at the boy. "Who the heck are you, anyway?"

Although Charlie was usually very gentle, he had a terrible temper in the morning, as the random boy would soon find out.

"I work here. My dad owns the hospital, blah-blah-blah, and he wanted me to experience life at the hospital so he's forcing me to shove food down people's mouths," drawled the boy. His unusually-white hair was nearly hidden by a black hat, which looked oddly bunched up.

"Ok, ok, thanks for the breakfast, and thanks for the lump on my head, ass," said Charlie, turning away to sleep once more, which proved to be quite difficult with a breakfast tray on his legs. "Go away."

"No can do. You're disabled or something, so I have to feed you," said the boy, shrugging. Before Charlie could shriek in protest, the boy had grabbed a spoon and was shovelling the porridge into Charlie's mouth.

"My name's Winter, by the way," said the boy, now holding Charlie in a headlock as he continued to force-feed the poor guy. "Winter de Sirene. If I don't get a positive response from my patients, my dad is gonna take away my allowance for a year. So if anyone asks, tell them that I'm the sweetest person you've ever met."

He had now finished 'feeding' Charlie, who was panting heavily after being nearly strangled by the white-haired boy. Still gasping for breath, he glared up at Winter, who was clattering the empty porridge bowl loudly as he made his way out of the room.

"Oh, and by the way, I'm gonna be your personal nurse during your time here," added Winter loftily, rolling his eyes. "Ugh. I hate hospitals. Sick people freak me out."

Charlie, incapable of listening to more of the spoilt teenager's drawls, grabbed his pillow and flung it across the room, where is landed with a satisfied _thwock_ on Winter's head.

Winter slowly turned around to stare at Charlie, who was sitting upright in his bed, his uninjured arm placed on his hip as he glared at the white-haired boy. Surprisingly, Winter's pale face broke into a smirk.

"Ah. You're gonna be interesting to work with," he said, before slipping out of the room, leaving an irritated Charlie to munch on his apple.

...

...

Meanwhile, a few miles away from the hospital, the morning sun shone brightly through the Goldenrod Hall's windows. A stray ray emerged in the shared room of Ally, Jay, Drew, May, Solidad and Gary. The sudden light caused Ally's eyes to flicker open. Yawning, she rubbed her eyes and sat up in her bed. She smiled at Jay, who was lying beside her, clinging to her arm like a small child. Snuffling, he opened his eyes and looked up at Ally, who was stretching her arms.

"Good morning!" she greeted chirpily, ruffling Jay's spiky black hair. He groaned sleepily, but smiled nonetheless.

"Morning," he said, pecking Ally's lips with a cheeky kiss. Ally tittered, and turned around to look at her fellow roommates.

Solidad and Gary had somehow managed to get themselves tangled up in their blankets and pillows, and looked quite comical, yet sweet. Gary's arms were entwined around Solidad's shoulders, and he was smiling in his sleep. Solidad herself had buried her face in Gary's hair.

"Cute," she said, nodding approvingly. Jay agreed.

"Very."

They looked across the room at the other bed, and nearly toppled out of their own bed in shock. There was no one there.

"What the-?" spluttered Ally, swinging her legs out of her bed and stuffing her feet into some slippers. "Where are they?"

"Maybe they're in the bathroom? Or the kitchen?"

Jay and Ally rushed into the suggested rooms, but they were completely empty. Ally was horrified to see that Drew's jacket and shoes were gone, and May's coat and slippers were gone, too.

"Where the heck are they?" snapped Jay, feeling disgruntled. "The contest is today, damnit!"

Ally knelt beside Solidad and Gary, and gently nudged the latter awake.

"Gary!" she hissed, shaking his shoulder. He groaned, and blearily opened one eye.

"What?" he groaned, rubbing his eyes.

"Drew and May aren't here!"

"Wha-? Have you checked the kitchen?"

"Yes, yes," said Ally impatiently, flapping her arm. "They aren't here! Wake Solidad up while I check the hallway."

She and Jay pulled on their dressing gowns, and scuttled to the door. But, after walking up and down the hallways and even peering into their own rooms, they concluded that Drew and May were nowhere to be found.

"Maybe they're down in the hall? Or the ballroom?" suggested Solidad as Ally and Jay re-entered the room.

"Why would they be there?" frowned Jay.

"Drew and May always disappear!" sighed Ally, sitting down on their bed while rubbing her forehead. "When they were staying in my house, they disappeared all night! Apparently they had fallen asleep in the garden!"

"The garden? But it's winter! They could've frozen to death!" gasped Solidad, her eyes wide with surprise.

"They've almost done that already. Drew went missing one night, so May and I went out into a blizzard to look for him." Ally sighed. "I lost May while we were walking back to the house. Eventually, my family and I found Drew and May buried under a heap of snow in the middle of one of our fields in the early hours of the morning. They nearly _died_."

"Jesus! Those two have been through a lot!" exclaimed Gary, raising an eyebrow. "C'mon, everyone, put your clothes on. We'll go looking for them."

Everyone returned to their own rooms; Gary and Jay to theirs, and Solidad and Ally to their own. A few minutes later, they were all standing in the hallway, fully-dressed and ready to find the missing Co-ordinators.

"Maybe they're in the main kitchen?" suggested Solidad as they hurried down the staircase.

"Maybe," said Ally, biting her lip. She turned to Jay and Gary. "You two go look in all the rooms you find. Solidad and I will check the kitchen, and then the halls and the ballroom."

"Alright."

But Drew and May were nowhere to be seen. By the time Solidad and Ally reached the ballroom, they felt like alerting Annabelle or even Madame Marie about the disappearance of their friends.

"Could they be in the garden?" mused Ally slowly, as Solidad checked a coat closet, in some crazy delusion that Drew and May were in there.

"The garden?" repeated Solidad, frowning. "Why the hell would they be out there in the middle of winter?"

"They're known to do retarded things," answered Ally. "They've spent the night outside my house twice. Once while they were unconscious."

Ally and Solidad opened the door which led to the garden, and stared, gobsmacked, at the stone water fountain.

"No way..."

"You're kidding me."

Beneath the fountain sat Drew, his eyes closed, breathing softly as May rested her head on his lap, fast asleep. Drew's hand was entwined in May's hair, and she was smiling slightly in her sleep.

"Looks like Drew finally admitted it to her," said Ally softly, shivering as another gust of wind blew down her back.

"And then they fell asleep in the freezing cold night," said Solidad, raising her eyebrows. "Perfectly normal, I'm sure."

"Come on, we better wake them up before they freeze. Again," said Ally. She and Solidad gently nudged Drew and May. May was the first to wake.

"Where... where am I?" she asked sleepily, blinking in early morning sunlight.

"You and your lover fell asleep in the garden," said Ally in a monotone.

"Wait, what!?"

She sat up and spun around to see Drew sitting behind her, his eyes finally flickering open.

"Drew, wake your ass up!" May turned to Ally and Solidad smirking. "This isn't what it looks like! We were just, uh, going for a moonlight walk, and we-,"

She stopped speaking when she saw Ally frown in an annoyed manner.

"We were worried sick, May!" she said, sighing heavily. "You and Drew seriously have to stop disappearing!"

"Sorry," mumbled Drew, who was finally properly awake. "We shouldn't have worried you, Ally."

He staggered to his feet, and pulled May up with him.

"Well, we better find Gary and Jay and tell them that we've found you," said Solidad. "They're looking for you inside the mansion."

"Oh God, we're really sorry for this! We really shouldn't have worried you all!" apologized May, wrapping her arms around Ally.

"It's alright, May," said Ally gently. "As long as you and Drew are safe, we're happy."

"Dear God, Ally, you make us sound like their parents!" said Solidad, laughing. "So, May, Drew. You two are finally together?"

"...Yes," said May quietly, but she then grinned. "I guess we are."

"I'm amazed you two didn't freeze out here," acknowledged Ally, raising an eyebrow. "Then again, you two have a tendency to fall asleep in freezing conditions and survive."

They were back in the ballroom, and Solidad closed the door behind them. The four made their way back to the hall.

"Gary and Jay are probably halfway up a chimney right now, looking for Drew and May!" laughed Ally, as she remembered that the two boys were still looking for May and Drew.

The four Co-ordinators went up the grand staircase and eventually reached Drew and May's room.

"Right, get changed, you two," said Solidad, as she picked up her nightclothes from the floor. "You look freezing! I can't believe you fell asleep outside!"

"We were tired," muttered Drew. He gathered up his clothes and went to the bathroom to brush his teeth and wash his face.

"Well, we'll leave you two to get ready. Ally and I'll go find Jay and Gary," said Ally, heading for the door.

"Shall we meet up in our room for some breakfast?" suggested Solidad, following Ally. "I'll make us all some pancakes; it's a specialty of mine."

"I love pancakes!" exclaimed Drew from the bathroom. "I'll have twelve. Put syrup on them."

"Greedy!" exclaimed Ally, laughing. "Alright, see ya'!"

"Bye," said May, and the door closed. She went to the kitchen to make herself a cup of tea while waiting for Drew to get out of the bathroom. She sat by the table, reading an article in Coordinators Weekly as Drew came out of the bathroom, looking refreshed.

"Your turn," he said, sitting down beside May and pouring himself a hot cup of tea. "The last round's today... I can't wait!"

May grinned, and said, "It'd be fantastic if we got the two ribbons!"

"Solidad, Jay, Ally and Gary are expert Coordinators," reminded Drew darkly. "Be careful with which Pokemon you'll be using today."

"Well, I've decided to use Blaziken, and Gyarados. They're two complete opposites, so they should make an interesting team," said May. "You're still using your Absol and Chansey?"

"Yeah. I've been working hard with Chansey, and it turns out that she's quite good at battling and looking fancy at the same time. She's far more powerful than Absol, but Absol has more grace, so it balances out."

"Oh, I just can't _wait_!"

Fifteen minutes later, May had changed into her usual outfit. She tied her bandana onto her hair, and grabbed Coordinators Weekly from the kitchen table. She had seen an article about Rapidash, and thought that Ally would like to read it.

"I hope Ally and Solidad managed to find Jay and Gary," said May as she and Drew left their room.

"I hope Solidad managed to make me some pancakes," said Drew. "Personally, I like pancakes more than people."

"Aren't you a social butterfly," smirked May, playfully flicking Drew's hair. She was surprised when Drew swiftly leaned towards her and pecked her lips with a sweet little kiss.

"Well, there's _one _person I like more than pancakes," he said with a slight grin. May smiled back.

"It's hard to believe that I used to hate you," she exclaimed. "The first day I met you, you were a total jerk."

"Gee, thanks."

They reached Solidad and Ally's room, and tapped on it. Ally's voice called out, "Come in, the door's open! I think."

May and Drew entered the room to find Ally dangling upside-down from her bed, trying to find something which had become wedged between the bed and the wall. Jay was in the midst of having an arm wrestling contest with Gary. They were quite surprised to see him there, but they were even more shocked to see none other than Annabelle coming out of the kitchen, her light blue hair shining.

"Oh! Good morning!" she greeted, grinning at them. "Solidad and Ally invited me over for breakfast with you all!"

"We found her talking to Jay and Gary when we found them," explained Ally, still dangling from her bed.

"You look different, Annabelle," said May, frowning slightly in concentration.

Annabelle usually wore posh little dresses, and wore her long wavy hair in a matching ribbon. But today, she was wearing a simple t-shirt, and soft blue jeans, and her hair was straight and hung loose around her shoulders.

Annabelle rolled her eyes. "My mother makes me wear those horrid dresses and those stupid bows so I can look nice for the guests. I prefer wearing this outfit!"

"You look nice," said May, smiling. Annabelle grinned gratefully, and sat down on Jay's bed.

After Ally had found her missing item (a sock), May gave her Coordinators' Weekly.

"Oh! A Rapidash article, eh?" she said, reading with great interest. "I haven't read this issue yet."

"You can keep it," said May. "I've read most of it."

She went through to the kitchen, where Solidad was busily making the breakfast. May offered to help, but Drew hastily pushed her away.

"No offense, May, but I think a hobo would be a better cook than you."

She was kicked out of the kitchen.

"Don't worry, May," said Annabelle comfortingly as May sat down. "I suck at cooking too. I tried to make some toast this morning, and I ended up causing the toaster to explode, and I somehow got a spoon stuck in the kettle when I made some tea."

May burst out laughing. "A spoon? Well, I managed to set a refrigerator on fire!"

"Personally, I think it takes great skill to be a crap cook," said Annabelle. "How many people in the world can explode toasters, clog kettles with spoons, and set a fridge on fire?"

"Probably only us two," said May. Gary, who had grown bored of arm wrestling with Jay (who kept beating him, even though he was skinnier and smaller), came over and sat with them.

"Nah, three."

"You can't cook either?" asked Annabelle sympathetically, looking at him.

"Me? No, I'm an alright chef. It's Jay I'm talking about. He didn't know how to even warm up some tinned soup. He just put it in the microwave. Without opening the can. Naturally, the whole thing exploded all over him."

"So _that's _why you smelt like tomatoes last night!" exclaimed Ally to Jay, who scowled.

"He's over-exaggerating. It didn't explode, it simply... popped."

"Whatever. Personally, I think that a huge 'boom' and then a loud splatter is an explosion," said Gary, smirking. "Popping is that cool noise when you burst those little bubbles that come with packages and stuff."

"I freaking love those!" said Annabelle, giggling in delight. "My mother is always receiving packages and stuff, and when she's not around, I steal the bubblewrap and pop 'em."

"What the heck are you guys talking about?"

Drew had left the kitchen, and he had a plate piled high with pancakes in his hands.

"PANCAKES!" shrieked May and Ally simultaneously. They attempted to grab the pancakes, but Gary dragged them away.

"Oi, get away. Don't touch Drew, he's mine!" he said, growling in what he thought was a sexy manner.

"Oh, Gary... I made you a special heart-shaped pancake, just for you..."

The homesexual flirting had turned into a little game between Gary and Drew, because the reaction Jay gave was always hilarious in their opinion.

"A heart-shaped pancake? Oh Drew! That's so romantic!"

"Oh, but Gary, _you're _the romantic one! Saving me from May and Ally... so manly!"

"OH FOR GOD'S SAKE, STOP IT!" shrieked Jay at last, toppling from his bed in complete mortification. "I can't stand it!"

"Loosen up, Jay," laughed Gary, helping the black-haired boy to his feet. "It's just a game."

"I have a fear of gays, alright?" scowled Jay.

"That's so completely random," noted May, raising an eyebrow. "Fear of gay people?"

"Well, I have a fear of mouldy bananas," shrugged Solidad as she emerged from the kitchen with another plateful of pancakes.

"Mouldy bananas?" repeated Ally as she grabbed a few pancakes. "That's... bizarre. Care to explain?"

"I don't have a reason," admitted Solidad, laughing. "They just freak me out."

"Mm! This pancake is delicious!" Annabelle was exclaiming, syrup covering her face.

"I'd offer to make you some more," laughed Solidad, "but Drew dropped the bag of flour."

"Can't you just pick it up again?" said Gary through a mouthful of pancake.

"He dropped it through the window."

"Ah."

"It was an accident," grumbled Drew. "At least I didn't drop a frying pan on someone's foot, unlike _someone._"

Solidad threw a pillow from Ally's bed at him. "It was a spatula, and you know it!"

"Well that was one heck of a heavy spatula!"

"Do they always bicker?" said Annabelle to May, as Drew threw a pancake at Solidad (and then retrieved it so he could resume eating it.)

"No, not that much. They're really good friends," replied May, licking her fingers of the last of the maple syrup. "God, that was delicious!"

"Much nicer than the food the chefs here make!" said Annabelle, also licking her delicate fingers.

"Oh yeah! You actually live here, don't you?" said Gary. "D'you wanna be a Coordinator like your mother?"

"Oh... She wants me to follow in her footsteps and be a Coordinator, but I wanna be a Trainer so badly!" said Annabelle, biting her lip.

"Challenging Gym Leaders is so fun," said Gary, taking a trip down memory lane. "I kinda' miss beating old Ashy's ass."

"I never really liked gyms," admitted Jay. "I prefer the stage."

Annabelle got up from the bed suddenly. "I have to go. I have a Coordinating lesson at eight-thirty."

"I thought you didn't like Coordinating?" said Drew, frowning.

"Try telling that to my mother," sighed Annabelle. She smiled sadly. "See you. I'll be the host in the Contest, by the way. God, I hate being on stage..."

She left the room, mumbling sadly to herself.

"Annabelle is a surprisingly deep person," said Gary. Jay nodded.

"Yep."

There was a silence.

"So, Drew, wanna have a make-out session on Jay's bed?" suggested Gary casually.

"Sure, sounds fun," replied Drew, shrugging.

"I hate you all," grumbled Jay, punching Gary's arm.

...

...

In the morning sun, the bright white snow nearly blinded Max as he stood on the outskirts of Snowpoint City with his team of three Pokemon. He'd caught a migrating Altaria the previous night while helping Paul limp his way into the city. The Altaria had actually crashed straight into Max and Paul, sending them flying onto the snowy ground. Naturally, Max's trainer spirit got the best of him, and he challenged the Altaria to a battle with his Swinub. Miraculously, Swinub won, and Max caught the Altaria, much to the surprise of Paul, who muttered, "Beginner's luck."

Max had just spent his first night in a Pokemon Centre since weeks, and felt refreshed and comfortable as he stood before his team.

"Right, guys! We're going to challenge Candice today!"

"Alt?" (Are you serious?)

"Swine Swinub!" (She's like fifty levels higher than us, you douche!)

"Now really, Max, you should know better than to challenge a Gym Leader that's way out of your league," came a cold voice from behind them. Max turned around to see Paul walking towards him, leaning heavily on the crutches Nurse Joy had allowed him to borrow.

"I see you're awake, Paul. How's your foot?"

"Who gives a damn about my foot? Anyway, have you started to train your Altaria?" asked Paul, staring down at the Altaria, who hummed his own little tune while shaking his fluffy cloud-like wings.

"Not yet. I was just introducing him to Swinub and Kirlia," replied Max. Kirlia was cowering behind Max, because she was terrified that Paul would try and murder her after she damaged his foot. Paul, however, merely ignored the shivering Pokemon.

"An Altaria is a good addition to your team," said Paul, "and Kirlia will eventually evolve into a Gardevoir, which is a good one too. But Swinub... he's crap, isn't it?"

Swinub squealed in horror, and Max swept him into his arms to comfort him.

"Don't insult my Pokemon!" snapped Max, soothing the upset Swinub. "They're mine, not yours. You have no right to insult them!"

"I have every right," drawled Paul. "I'm older, more experienced, and generally better than you."

Max scowled. It seemed that Paul had gone back to his arrogant, sarcastic ways.

"What're you doing out here, anyway, Paul?" he said, placing Swinub back on the snowy ground.

"Ash has already gone to challenge Candice," said Paul loftily, "and Brock and Dawn have gone to watch him."

"Why didn't you join them?" asked Max, frowning. "It won't kill you."

There was a short silence, before Paul muttered, "I tried to, but I kept slipping on the ice because of my crutches, alright?"

Before Max could answer (he was quite tempted to laugh at Paul's misfortune), a voice was heard, calling a name as it got louder.

"Paul! Paul!"

Turning around, Max and Paul and the Pokemon saw Dawn approach, jogging towards them, wearing a thick pink coat to protect her from the cold weather.

"Oh, Max, you're here too!" she exclaimed as she approached them. "I was worried about you, Paul, after you stormed out of the gym like that!"

"I didn't storm out," mumbled Paul, avoiding Dawn and Max's eyes. "I just got annoyed about the ice."

Dawn raised an eyebrow, but changed the subject.

"So, Max, how's Altaria?" she said, kneeling down to pet Altaria, who hummed in delight.

"He seems to like his new family," replied Max, sitting beside her and nuzzling the blue bird's face. Paul snorted.

"Family?" he said, sneering. "That's just pathetic."

"I see my Pokemon as my family, too," said Dawn, scowling at Paul. "Don't you care at all about your Pokemon?"

"Pokemon shouldn't have emotions," said Paul coldly. Before he could continue, though, Altaria got onto his feet and knocked Paul's crutches over, causing the violet-haired boy to topple into the snow.

"Looks like you made Altaria a bit peeved," said Max airily, as Paul shook snow out of his hair and glared at the still-humming Altaria, who looked very pleased with himself.

Paul opened his mouth to say something, but he closed it again as a snowball was pelted into the back of his head. Turning around, he saw Dawn standing behind him, another snowball in her hand. Behind her stood her team; Piplup, Buneary and Pachirisu, all of them clutching balls of snow in their paws.

"You've made _my family _annoyed as well," said Dawn, a mischievous grin evident on her face. "Attack him, guys!"

Squealing, the three Pokemon catapulted snowballs into Paul's face, knocking him backwards into the snow again. Swinub, Altaria and Kirlia joined in, laughing in delight.

"Stop it!" snapped Paul, pushing Swinub (who was head-butting Paul, due to his incapability to make snowballs with his small paws) off his chest and got onto his knees. "I'm freaking injured, and you attack me!"

"You needed to learn a lesson, Paul," said Dawn, hands on her hips. "Now, every time you insult me, my friends or my Pokemon, I'll punish you. Just like a mother punishing her misbehaving child."

"Mothers don't pelt their children with snowballs!" protested Paul angrily, as a laughing Max pulled him onto his feet.

"Lighten up, Paul, it's just a bit of fun," he said, picking up Paul's crutches and handing them to the violet-haired boy, who snatched them out of Max's hands.

"I can't believe I'm going to be stuck with you freaks for a month," muttered Paul, glaring at the two younger people. "You're driving me insane."

"You'll get used to it," said Dawn chirpily, before smacking Paul on the back of his head. He hissed in pain, before snapping, "What was the point of that!?"

"You called us freaks," she answered simply. "And I punished you."

Paul glared at Dawn, but said nothing. He simply started to limp away, fuming.

"So, what're we doing today, Dawn?" asked Max, as the two and their Pokemon walked behind Paul, who was clearly in a very bad mood with them.

"I don't know. How about we stalk Paul around, just to annoy him?" suggested Dawn teasingly.

"I think we should stop teasing him," said Max, frowning. "I don't blame him for being so angry, really. I mean... it's my fault he hurt himself in the first place."

"I guess so," sighed Dawn, slumping her shoulders.

"Hey!" whined Max, a hurt expression on his face.

"What?"

"You're supposed to say, "No, it wasn't your fault, Max! Don't blame yourself!""

"But it was your fault!"

"Still! You're supposed to... I don't know, comfort me!"

Dawn broke into peals of laughter.

"Comfort you?" she said in between giggles. "You make me sound like a mother soothing her crying baby!"

"Well, you _did _describe Paul and yourself as a naughty child and strict mother..."

"Okay, okay, truce!" laughed Dawn, playfully knocking her fist against Max's shoulder, who did the same back. "I guess we _should_ stop teasing poor Paul," said Dawn, watching as Paul, who was a few metres in front of them, limp awkwardly in the soft snow, his crutches getting stuck every few seconds.

"I think he needs some help," said Max, also watching Paul struggle with his injured foot.

"Why d'you care so much about him all of a sudden?" asked Dawn, narrowing her eyes as she turned to stare at Max suspiciously. "You hated his guts the night you met him."

Max bit his lip. He still didn't exactly _like _Paul, but he felt a bit closer to him ever since aiding him to Snowpoint. When they talked about their families, he felt as if they were breaking the ice between them. But Paul's dead parents also made Max feel sorry for Paul...

"I guess I've just seen him in a new light," said Max with a shrug. "How about you? You act like you hate him, then you're nice to him, then you start to pelt snowballs at his face!"

"That's just my messed-up friendship with him," laughed Dawn.

Max opened his mouth to say something before he heard Paul curse loudly. Both he and Dawn turned to see the elder of the three trying to tug his crutch free from the snow, but the crutch wouldn't move an inch.

"Want some help, Paul?" called Max, jogging over to where Paul stood, unable to move.

"I'm fine," he grunted, jerking the crutch roughly with no effect whatsoever. Dawn, who had also approached to see what the problem was, had knelt down beside Paul, inspecting the stuck crutch.

"It looks like it's gotten jammed into some ice," she said, digging away some of the snow to reveal the metal crutch stuck in a small ice glacier.

Paul groaned. "Great."

"Don't be whiny, Paul," said Dawn sternly. "Max and I will help you."

"I'll help myself, thank you," spat Paul coldly, and before anyone could stop him, he tugged violently on the crutch. With a swift thud, the crutch came free, but Paul had pulled it too hard, and couldn't stop the crutch from swinging towards his leg, and hitting his foot with a sickening crack.

In just seconds, Paul's cold, selfish front disappeared as he sank into the snow, screaming in the agony he felt in his foot

"Oh my God!" shrieked Dawn, her face growing white at the horrid sight. "His ankle!"

A bone from Paul's ankle had pierced through his flesh and was visible, with blood steadily falling onto the white snow. Max, nearly vomiting himself, knelt down beside Paul, who was hissing and looked as if he was about to pass out from the pain.

"Dawn, run to the closest doctor you can find. Hospital, infirmary, whatever, just get Paul some help," said Max firmly to Dawn, who nodded and ran into the distance, with her team following behind her. Max turned again to Paul, who had now returned to shrieking in pain.

"Paul, don't look at your foot," said Max, ripping off his green hooded sweater, shivering as the snow made contact with his bare skin. "Look at me. Don't concentrate on the pain."

"How can I fucking concentrate on you when my ankle is sticking out of my fucking skin!?" hissed Paul, yelling in the pain he felt shooting up from his foot.

"_If you strain your ankle too much, it'll break."_

Brock's words from the previous morning echoed in his head as Max wrapped his sweater around Paul, who was now shaking violently. He also ripped the sleeve of his t-shirt and wrapped it around Paul's ankle, so that the blood wouldn't be quite as visible. It didn't help much; Max now had blood all over his hands.

"Oh God, come on Dawn," he muttered, looking towards the direction Dawn had run into, but there was nothing to be seen but white snow.

A soft thud caused Max to turn to see that Paul had passed out, his face completely drained of its blood as more and more of the scarlet liquid seeped onto the snow.

...

...

"Ladies and gentlemen! Boys and girls! May I welcome you to the annual Goldenrod Contest; the final round!"

Annabelle's voice echoed through the vast Goldenrod Hall, where hundreds of people were standing in the audience, cheering and clapping loudly. To the right of the stage sat the three judges: Mr. Sukizo, Mr. Contesta, and the owner of the Goldenrod Hall, Madame Marie. Madame Marie had swept her long, light-blue hair into a sleek ponytail, and while Mr. Contesta and Mr. Sukizo showed great enthusiasm for the upcoming contest, Madame Marie looked bored. Annabelle was standing on the stage, her hair wrapped in a white ribbon to match her doll-like white dress, but Madame Marie could see how her daughter's fingers were shaking as she clutched her microphone. Madame Marie rolled her eyes; how could her daughter be a top Coordinator if she couldn't even stand on stage without quivering like a scared Whismur?

"There are six Coordinators standing behind me, all of them full of talent and yearning to win the ribbons!" said Annabelle, standing aside to reveal the Coordinators, who looked anxious, or in Drew's case, very confident. Drew was smirking at May, who, like Annabelle, was quaking while fumbling her fingers. Gary, Solidad and Jay looked quite at ease, although Jay kept nibbling his bottom lip. Ally, though, seemed to be the most nervous: before the first round of the Goldenrod Contest, May had caught Ally vomiting in the girls' bathroom, a clear sign of her stage fright.

"As you already know," Annabelle was saying, her voice confident yet her body was twitching slightly, "there are two ribbons to be won in this contest. A ribbon for the winner, and a ribbon for the Coordinator who uses the best combinations in the most beautiful manner."

May, who was standing between Gary and Jay, gulped, feeling horribly nervous. She was desperate to win one of the ribbons...

"Now, the Coordinators will all use one Pokemon to use in the Appeals round."

May blinked. "We're doing an Appeals round?"

"Yeah," whispered Gary. "Two of us are gonna get knocked out of the contest. The remaining four will battle for the ribbons."

"I didn't know that," replied May, biting her bottom lip like Jay. "I don't know who I should use..."

"The first to perform," Annabelle was saying into the microphone, "will be Solidad. The rest may leave the stage to give room for Solidad and her Pokemon."

As Annabelle and the Coordinators scuttled off the stage, Solidad reached into her pocket and brought out a red and white, polished ball. She threw it high into the air, a confident grin clear on her face.

"Lapras! Dazzle us!"

An enchanted, song-like cry echoed through the hall, causing the audience to fall silent as they watched a magnificent Lapras appear on the stage, her blue skin shimmering, her polished shell shining.

While Solidad and her Lapras stood on the stage, mesmerizing the judges and the crowd with their breathtaking combinations, the remaining Coordinators made their way to the room where they had been a few days ago; the back room of the stage. It was eerily empty; days ago, the room had been full of hopeful Coordinators. Now, only a handful remained.

"Gary, you're after Solidad," said Annabelle, who had left the stage for a few moments, her face flushed from being under the stage lights. "Then Drew, Jay, May and Ally."

Without another word, Annabelle scuttled through the door and back onto the stage to return to her commentating. By the sound of things, it seemed that Solidad had finished Appealing, and was now hearing what the judges had to say.

Gary sat down on a nearby chair, a grin forming on his face.

"I'm glad I gave up being a Researcher to become a Coordinator," he said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a single Pokeball. Jay sat down beside him.

"Why did you give up?" he said, frowning.

"I guess I missed battling and being in front of a crowd," said Gary, spinning the ball on his fingertips. A loud cheer in the hall indicated that Solidad had gotten a good response from the judges.

"And next up," came Annabelle's magnified voice, "is Gary Oak!"

"Time for me to shine," said Gary with a smirk, before getting onto his feet and disappearing through the door.

"Good luck!" called May and Ally, as Solidad came in, tucking Lapras's Pokeball into her pocket while flicking some snow off her shoulders.

"I'm guessing you made Lapras use Blizzard?" said Drew with a laugh in his voice as Solidad perched herself on a chair, brushing more snow from her top.

"Good guess," she said, grinning. "Lapras was amazing. Best Appeal round she's ever done!"

"She's only done about three."

"Four, actually."

"Oh."

A piercing howl was heard from the stage, sending chills down the Coordinators' spines.

"So Gary's using his Arcanine," said Jay, raising an eyebrow.

"Magnificent use of Flame Wheel!" Annabelle's voice was saying, followed by a thunderous applause from the audience before all fell silent. The judges were now speaking, and May could hear Mr. Sukizo exclaim, "Remarkable!" dozens of times.

"Well, I guess I'm next," Drew said, Absol's Pokeball clutched in his hand just as Annabelle's voice was heard announcing, "Amazing, Gary! Both you and Solidad were fantastic!"

Drew got onto his feet. "Wish me luck," he said, smirking. "Ah, wait, I won't need it, will I?"

"You arrogant ass," sighed May, rolling her eyes but smiling, nonetheless, as she got up from her chair and kissed Drew's cheek lightly. Drew turned his head so that his lips brushed against hers.

"Drew, get your buttocks on that stage before I kick you there," barked Solidad, causing Drew and May to jump apart. With one last glance at May, Drew made his way through the door, just as Gary was returning.

Sitting back down, May saw that Jay was staring at her in a gobsmacked manner, his mouth agape and his eyes wide. He turned to stare at Solidad and Ally, who looked back at him with raised eyebrows.

"Am I the only one who saw May and Drew kiss each other?!" he said, waving his arms frantically.

"Oh, yeah, they're going out now," said Solidad airily, inspecting her fingernails. "Did we forget to tell you that?"

"Yeah, you freaking did!" said Jay, outraged that no-one had told him about the latest gossip. Gary sat down beside him, as equally as surprised as Jay.

"Well, that's bizarre," he mused. "I'm going out with Solidad. You're going out with Ally, and May and Drew are finally together."

"That's pretty weird," admitted Solidad. "It's like we're all being paired up or something."

"...Cool."

May, meanwhile, was biting her nails nervously. She could hear the crowd cheering uproariously for Drew, much louder than they did for Gary and Solidad together. Annabelle was exclaiming, "Absol and Drew make an unbeatable pair! I wonder what my mothe- I mean, the judges have to say!"

The judges' words weren't clear enough for May to hear, because the crowd had started to laugh. Why were they laughing?

"Solidad, what did the judges say about you?" she asked, turning to face Solidad.

"They said that they liked my technique, and that they loved Lapras's performance," said Solidad with a proud grin. "They said I had a good chance of winning one of the ribbons!"

"I don't know what they said about me, to be honest," admitted Gary, laughing. "All I heard was Sukizo going, "Remarkable, remarkable!" for about ten minutes."

"You must've been good then," said Jay. "How many times did he say it?"

"Forty-two times."

"Damn. My record is twenty-nine."

Another roaring cheer was heard from the audience, and the room almost shook from the power of the applause. Jay laughed.

"I guess they liked Drew!" he laughed, spinning a Pokeball in his hand. "Well, they'll like Scyther and I even more!"

A distant screech from one of Drew's fangirls was heard, later joined by many more.

"I doubt that anyone can like you more than Drew!" said Gary, laughing at Jay's disgruntled expression.

"You'll see!" said Jay, clutching Scyther's ball tight in his hand. "Scyther and I will win, mark my words!"

"Your Scyther is shiny, right?" said May, remembering Jay's Appealing from the Cherrygrove Contest.

"Yep, dark green with hints of orange," sighed Jay, a smile of pure ecstasy on his face. "Such rare beauty!"

"Stop talking like you're in love with your Scyther!" laughed Ally, who still looked a bit ill. "I think Drew's finished now," she noted, as the cheering grew silent.

"Well, I'm off then," said Jay, winking. "Wish me luck!"

"Good luck!" called May and Ally, as Jay ran off through the side-door, his black hair bouncing in his excitement.

"Jay's really good at being cheerful, isn't he?" said Ally with a sad smile. "He's an orphan, his Pokemon just died, and one of his brothers is in hospital, while the other one is a complete psycho. But Jay is still okay, somehow."

"I hope Charlie's alright," said May quietly. "I feel awful about his arm."

"Yeah," said Solidad sadly. "If we hadn't had that stupid battle, Charlie would be fine."

"Man, I leave you by yourselves for five minutes, and you all fall into depression?" came Drew's voice as he re-entered the room.

"Welcome back," said Gary, ignoring Drew's comment. "How did you do?"

"Absol was great," said Drew, but May could sense that he wasn't telling them something. She bit her lip; Absol had failed Drew in the Grand Festival. What if he'd done it again? Drew clearly wasn't very pleased, but he didn't say anything more about his Appeal.

"Oh my!" said Annabelle's magnified voice from the stage. "A shiny Scyther!"

Drew laughed. "Jay's using his Scyther again, huh?"

"Yeah," said May. "But I'm sure that the Pokemon truly wants to use is his Typhlosion."

A heavy silence fell on the Coordinators. Everyone except for Gary Oak.

"Ok, seriously, what the hell happened to his Typhlosion?" he asked, frowning.

"Well, in the Cherrygrove Contest, there was a fire in the Pokemon Center," said Ally lowly. "There had been a fire in the contest, as well. Both fires had been caused by Jay's Typhlosion. Typhlosion got seriously injured in the first fire."

"A pillar had collapsed on him," continued Drew. He sighed, still hurt from the memory. "May and I dragged Typhlosion away from the fire, and he was taken to the Pokemon Centre. But he must've gone crazy again in there, because it burnt that place down too. May and I and some other Coordinators went to help the Pokemon that were in the fire, and that's when we found Typhlosion."

"Even though he was a Fire Pokemon," said May sadly, looking down at her feet, "he couldn't cope in the fire with his injuries. He died just moments after Gyarados saved him."

"That's horrible, man," muttered Gary quietly. He glanced at Ally, who had tears in her eyes. "Jay's had a rough life."

"Yeah," sighed Solidad. "When I first met him in Cherrygrove, I felt really sorry for him, but I didn't give him a second thought afterwards. I never knew that he'd actually turn out to be my child's uncle."

Gary winced. He still had difficulty getting used to Solidad's pregnancy.

From the sounds of it, Jay had been very successful in his Appealing, for the crowds were cheering uproariously, even louder than they had done for Drew.

"Well, I'm next," said May, trying to bring up the mood again, for everyone seemed to be feeling down after talking about Jay. She gripped a Pokeball tight in her hands. "Blaziken and I will win this for sure!"

"Yeah, yeah, and my Chansey will sprout wings and learn to fly!" said Drew, laughing. May scowled, until Drew added softly, "Good luck. I know you'll be great, May."

Blushing slightly, May rushed out of the room, barging straight into Jay, who had a cheery grin on his face, clearly proud of his succession onstage.

"I warmed up the crowd for you," he said, winking as May hurried past. He laughed at himself, and made his way into the side-room as May scuttled up the wooden stairs that led to the curtains beside the stage.

She stood behind the curtains, poking her head out. She could see Annabelle on the stage, announcing, "What a fabulous performance from Jay and his Scyther! And now, let's give a loud cheer for May!"

May grinned. This was her moment. Her nerves melting away, she stepped confidently onto the stage, waving at the audience with a bright smile. She was pleased to see Tucker cheering gleefully for her, his hair finally free of its pigtails and now hanging loosely around his shoulders. He was waving his arms maniacally, causing the other spectators to give him very odd looks.

"May!" he was shouting over the crowd's cheers. "Yay, May! Good luck!"

With a laugh, May threw Blaziken's Pokeball high into the air with an exaggerated posture, and called out her trademark quote.

"Take the stage, Blaziken!"

Several feet in the air, the Pokeball exploded open with a blinding light, and Blaziken came falling down, landing on the stage gracefully on his feathered legs, his talons held in a martial arts position.

"What a magnificent Blaziken!" exclaimed Annabelle, standing on the edge of the stage where she could safely commentate without getting in the way of the Appealers.

"Blaziken, use Sky Uppercut!"

Nodding, Blaziken bent his knees and clenched his fists. True to a Blaziken's nature of being capable of jumping as high as a skyscraper, he sprang into the air, his fists now glowing a light blue hue.

"Now, use Brave Bird!"

Just as he was threatening to crash though the ceiling, Blaziken turned abruptly so that his clawed feet just skimmed the stagelights bolted to the ceiling. His feathered body was engulfed in blue flames, his fists still shining brightly. He fell downwards, swivelling in the air as the blue flames on his body grew bigger and bigger. He crashed to the stage, one of his glowing fists smashing into the stage.

His body still spinning up-side down, Blaziken's fire-engulfed body continued to glow brightly.

"Amazing!" said Mr. Contesta, his eyes wide in astonishment as he watched Blaziken spin speedily onstage, his fist still buried in the floor. "The use of Brave Bird is purely unique, and when you use Sky Uppercut for speed, a truly amazing combination is developed!"

"Remarkable!" called our Mr. Suziko, clapping in glee. Madame Marie said nothing, but she had put her nail filer away, and was watching Blaziken curiously.

"Alright, Blaziken, use Flame Blitz!"

Still spinning, Blaziken rose his free arm and sent out shots of fiery blazes. Usually, the blitz would be orange and red like traditional fire, but because of Blaziken's use of Brave Bird, the blitz had turned blue as well. They glittered in the air for a few short seconds before disappearing completely. Finally, Blaziken tore his fist out of the stage and stood upright again, the blue flames on his body dying away as he stood there, panting but proud.

The crowd roared loudly, clapping uproariously while May bowed and grinned, hugging Blaziken.

"Thank you, Blaziken," she whispered, pulling away from the bird. "That's the best you've ever been."

She and Blaziken turned to face the judges and Annabelle.

"I think the crowd adored that performance, May!" said Annabelle loudly so that her words could be heard over the wild cheering. "Let's hear what the judges have to say!"

As usual, Mr. Contesta was the first to speak.

"Fantastic performance, May and Blaziken," he said, smiling warmly at the duo. "I've been following Blaziken ever since he joined the contests, back when he was a Combusken. I have to say; you've done a marvellous job at training him. His combinations are flawless."

"Remarkable!" remarked Mr. Sukizo in joy. "Absolutely remarkable! Such unique moves... remarkable moves!"

The crowd cheered again; May could hear Tucker screeching proudly at the top of his voice so that he could be heard. She laughed at him.

When the audience fell silent again, she turned to Madame Marie, who stared back at her, her icy eyes cold, but curious.

"Your Blaziken," she said slowly, wrapping a silver-blue lock of hair around her finger. "Your Blaziken... is very talented. You are a good Coordinator, I believe."

The crowd erupted into uproarious cheers again, clapping loudly. They had never heard Madame Marie say anything more than "Good" or "Bad".

"What an amazing feedback, May!" said Annabelle into her microphone, although May struggled to hear her words due to the audience's cheers. "And next we have is Ally!"

May and Blaziken, waving at the audience, made their way to the side-door and re-entered the room where the rest of the Coordinators sat, looking eagerly at May.

"Well, how did you do?!" said Gary immediately as Ally left the room, her face looking slightly green.

"Blaziken was fantastic!" exclaimed May, hugging Blaziken yet again, who grunted in the delight of having May's attention. "I've felt bad, recently. I've been choosing Tentasha and Gyarados over him, but Blaziken really showed his talent today!"

"Blaziken Blaze!" cried Blaziken proudly.

"Did Marie say anything?" came Drew's voice. May turned to face him , and was surprised to see Chansey sitting beside him, as pink and as round as ever. Drew saw the bewildered look on May's face, and laughed. "Chansey decided she wants to be in the battle round," he explained, patting the pink blob's head, and added, "If we get through."

"Of course you'll get through!" said Solidad, rolling her eyes. Drew smiled, but said nothing. This worried May; usually, Drew would be confident and annoyingly cocky, flicking his hair every five seconds and smirking at those he thought were worse than him. But now, he was nearly completely silent. May knew why; something had gone wrong in his Appeals round, and he wasn't happy at all. She feared that the fault in Drew's performance had been Absol, and that Drew would turn on both Absol and May like he had done in the Grand Festival. But the crowd had cheered so loudly for Drew...

"What's wrong?" asked May as she sat down beside Drew, returning Blaziken to his Pokeball. "Didn't you enjoy your Appeal?"

"Absol and I were fine," said Drew, and May was shocked to see a horrified expression creep onto his face. "The only problem was the fact that Tucker kept screaming my name. And he was standing with my fangirls."

"Er, maybe he was just... eager?" said May lamely, trying her best not to laugh.

"He screeched his love for me just before Madame Marie spoke!" said Drew, hissing. "It freaked me out! And everyone laughed at me!"

"I'm sure it wasn't that bad," said May, still struggling with her urge to laugh. "I'm sure Tucker's just glad that you told him to change his hairstyle and stuff, that's all."

"Well, he's too glad," muttered Drew. He sighed, and shook his head. "Nah, I'm just being stupid. But admit it; having a purple-haired man in a fairy outfit can seriously freak a guy out."

May couldn't help it; she burst into laughter. "Stop being so paranoid, Drew! You're handsome, but not handsome enough to attract men!"

Drew cocked his head, and smirked. "You think I'm handsome, huh?"

May immediately blushed, and shook her head fiercely. "No! No, no I don't!" she said, shaking her hands quickly. She then paused, and said quietly, "Well, I guess."

Drew laughed, and turned around to look at the other Coordinators. Ally had gone out onto the stage, leaving Gary, Jay and Solidad chattering to each other, debating heatedly about who was the best Coordinator.

"I'll definitely win," Gary was saying in a lofty manner. "Mark my words."

"You won't!" protested Jay, shaking his fist at Gary. "Scyther was amazing!"

"Don't be so confident, guys," said Solidad, smiling warmly but there was a glint of mischief in her eyes. "Lapras and I were the best."

While the three bickered, Drew said to May, "How did you do, anyway?"

"Blaziken was really spectacular," said May, sighing dreamily. "He really shined on the stage."

"Shame," said Drew airily, "that I'm clearly going to beat you. And probably win both ribbons."

"Give over!" shrieked May, pushing Drew's side. "You can be really nice at times, Drew, but you're still an arrogant jerk!"

"And you're still a complaining, whining little girl," said Drew, a cheerful note in his voice. An uproarious cheer was heard from the stage; Ally had overcome her stage fright.

"I don't complain!" said May, scowling. She sighed impatiently. "When're we going to find out who's gone through, anyway? Ally's taking too long!"

"I rest my case," said Drew, smirking. May glared at him, but before she could attack him verbally, the door swung open and Ally came back in, a grin on her face as she skipped over to the others.

"Rapidash was freaking awesome!" she exclaimed, nearly crashing into the wall in her hyperactive state. "I'm telling you, I've never seen him be so graceful and elegant and amazing and spectacular and superb and fantastic and fabulous and-"

"Shut up," said Gary, getting up and slapping her swiftly on the face. Ally shook her head fiercely and blinked rapidly, as if she'd just woken up. But the absent-minded grin soon returned.

"-great and marvellous and magnificent and incredible and beautiful..." She paused, and turned to Gary, who was staring at her in bewilderment. "Did you just slap me?"

...

...

"The judges are ready!"

Annabelle's voice echoed through the hall, and the crowd cheered so loudly, May shoved her fingers in her ears, while Jay shoved his head under his arm. Drew was used to such loud cheers, and so was Solidad. Ally and Jay were simply too awed by the sheer volume of the cheer to do anything. Also, like the other Coordinators, they were incredibly nervous.

As the cheering died down, Annabelle gestured to the six Coordinators with her free hand. "Only four Coordinators will make it through to the Battle round. And, from that round, just two will emerge. Those two Coordinators will battle against each other for the Victory ribbon. The Beauty ribbon can be given to anyone, although those who are through to the Battle round have a better chance at winning it."

May gulped and clenched her fists. Drew, sensing her anxiety, took her hand into his and held it tightly. A loud screech of rage and despair was heard from the fangirls. And Tucker.

"And now," Annabelle was saying into her microphone, "it's time to find out who's through to the Battle round! Over to you, Mr. Contesta!"

"Thank you, Miss Annabelle," said Contesta, speaking into the microphone on his desk. "After a long discussion, Mr. Sukizo, Madame Marie and I have decided who has triumphed."

There was a nerve-breaking silence. The crowd was unusually quiet; not even a whisper could be heard. May found herself holding her breath and clutching Drew's hand even tighter, digging her gloved fingers into his palm. Ally was shaking.

"The first Coordinator through is Solidad!"

The crowd roared in delight, clapping their hands and stomping their feet as Solidad found herself jumping in joy. She was an expert Coordinator, but she'd never been in such an intense contest. Not even the Grand Festival had made her feel so nervous.

"The next through is Gary!"

Abandoning all pretence of being manly, Gary threw himself into Solidad's arms and whooped loudly, grinning in pure joy. He even released his Arcanine and hugged him around the neck, hiding his overexcited face away from the crowd, who were laughing at him.

"May!"

May couldn't help it; she shrieked in glee and threw her arms around Drew's neck, nearly crying in happiness.

"And the last through is-"

A heavy silence fell on the crowd once more. Ally, Jay and Drew were standing next to each other, staring unblinkingly towards Mr. Contesta. Ally was shaking violently, while Jay was biting a loose nail on his finger very roughly; so roughly that blood was seeping down his hand. He didn't notice. Drew looked completely at ease, except for one thing; his fingers were constantly tugging at his sleeves due to his anxiety.

"Jay!"

The crowd erupted into such uproarious cheers that it nearly deafened the Coordinators onstage. Jay had been pulled into a tight group hug with Solidad and Gary, while Ally looked down at her feet sadly, then looking up and smiling at Jay proudly. But May didn't hear the crowd's ear-splitting cheers, or see the other Coordinators' glee. All she saw was Drew's eyes fall to the ground, his hand slipping out of hers and limply to his side. All she heard was Annabelle saying, "Ally from Cherrygrove City and Drew from La Rousse unfortunately won't be in the next round."

* * *

Well, it's not a TOTAL cliffhanger. I could've gone "And the last person through to the next round iiiiiis..." and ended it like that. You would've hated me then. Then again, you probably already hate me for being such a crap updater. And not letting Drew go through to the next round. Aren't I lovely?

Anyway, I can't believe I've bloody introduced another OC. I already dislike Ally and Annabelle. And now, I've introduced a fellow called Winter?! At least he isn't a totally new character. Nor for me, anyway. I've created Winter aaages ago, just this is the first time he's been mentioned in one of my fanfictions. Another of my OCs is gonna make a very small appearance. Those who know me on DeviantART might know who he is.

Ah, that reminds me; I have a picture of Dorian (Drew's brother), Harley, Annabelle and Winter on DeviantART. And Drew, somewhere. Just search "Unfourtanate" and you'll find me there. Winter was originally going to be a kind, Irish boy who worked in Goldenrod Hall with his father. But, I decided to make him an arrogant snob whose father owns the hospital where Charlie is. Oh, remember those Arcanine and Growlithe on the ferry that took May and Drew to Johto? Like, in chapter 3 or 4? Yeah, they're making a comeback.

And now... who hates me for killing Paul's foot? :D I'm amazed that Rampardos hasn't made an appearance in this chapter. Or that Shuckle. Anyone remember Shuckle? I quite liked him. Must remember to write him into the next chapter.

I just noticed that Dawn has a Swinub in the real Pokemon series. Oops. Well, in this story, Max has one and she doesn't. So ha.

Btw, Harley returns in the next chapter.

DOES ANYONE BUT ME LOVE THE IDEA OF TUCKER HAVING A PERVY CRUSH ON DREW?!

...

Okay, so it's only me.

Review, my dears! Hopefully the next chapter won't take so long, but I can't make any promises, 'cause I have loads of stuff coming up. The Eisteddfod, more exams, Duke Of Edinburgh, work, karate... save me! D: Ahem. Anyway. If you don't review, I will kill you. With my pointy spoon of doom. Oh yes. But seriously; it's very annoying to get people favouriting my story, but not bothering to leave me a little review. You mean beans! D: But to those who DO review... I LOVE YOU. :D

So, review?

* * *


	23. Chapter 23 : Gyarados's Debut

THE WAIT IS OVER! Oh my God, I am TERRIBLY sorry for not updating for such a long while! And I apologise even more for providing you with a rather short chapter! But heck, it's better than nothing, isn't it? Now then, my readers, you will be pleased to know that this story has been revitalised! Over the past year, my writing skills have (hopefully) improved. Sort of. Anyway, I've decided to continue with this story, and you will be even more pleased to know that I am rewriting the entire story. That's right, kids! No more horrendous grammar and spelling from Unfourtanate! I have already rewritten the first chapter, which I shall be posting soon. Now, I pray that you will enjoy this chapter! Peace!  


* * *

The de Sirene ferry rocked gently in the waters of Cherrygrove City, with the ferry's guarding Fire Pokemon lolling about on the deck, appreciating the warm midday sun. All the passengers to Slateport City had already arrived, so the deck was empty and quiet. However, a few minutes before the ferry was to leave the dock, one of the young Growlithe raised his head, sniffing the air with a curious look in his eye. He was soon followed by his siblings, and the family of guard Vulpix. Finally, the two Ninetales and the lone Arcanine woke up from their short afternoon nap, their sleepiness disappearing as they realised that someone was running towards them – someone with a very familiar scent.

The Arcanine got up to her feet, and padded towards the front of the ferry, still sniffing the air. She recognized that scent... but whose scent was it? Behind her, the Growlithe started to lowly growl, baring their little fangs. The Arcanine pawed the ground – her Growlithe pups had an uncanny ability to smell people they didn't trust.

"Wait!"

Someone was running along the dock, his cascading violet hair flying around his shoulders as he ran up the ferry's docking plank. The Arcanine sniffed the air one more time, and remembered – this was the man who had destroyed the ferry's eastern railings.

The purple-haired man was on the ferry now, and yelped in surprise as four Growlithe, five Vulpix, two Ninetales and an Arcanine surrounded him, growling ominously, their eyes narrowed in hatred. This man had destroyed part of their master's ferry!

"Arcanine. Heel."

With one last look of hatred, Arcanine turned and stalked off to stand beside another man – the captain of the ferry – who had just appeared on the dock. The other Fire Pokemon followed Arcanine, leaving the purple-haired man pale and panting after his lapse of running.

"I apologise," said the captain sincerely, bowing his head. "Our guard Pokemon have never acted like this before."

He paused, and peered closely at the purple-haired man. "Wait one second - I've seen you before."

The purple-haired man gulped, and turned his head, eyeing the docking plank.

"Arcanine, secure him," commanded the captain, and before the purple-haired man could do anything, the Arcanine had pushed him to the ground, pressing her strong forelegs down on his shoulders, pinning him to the deck's wooden floor.

The captain stepped closer, watching the man struggle on the floor against the Arcanine's powerful strength. "Harley, I believe?"

Harley stopped struggling and stared up at the captain, his eyes wide in shock; in fear. "Yes," he whispered reluctantly. The captain raised an eyebrow.

"I can't believe you actually returned to the very ferry you damaged," said the captain, his eyebrow arching even more. "Well, Officer Jenny has been looking for you, Harley. Shall I give her a call?"

...

..

Before May could even react to what Annabelle had announced, Gary had grabbed her arm and had dragged her into the squealing and cheering group hug which consisted of him, Jay and Solidad. She tried to pull free, to reach for Drew, but he was gone. Yanking herself away from the cheery group hug, she saw Drew disappearing into the shadowed side-stage.

"Drew!" she shouted, rushing towards him, not noticing the hurt murmurs coming from the group hug members. She then stopped, and could hear her voice echoing throughout the contest hall. She turned, and saw that the entire audience had fallen silent, and were staring at her. May realized she was standing right next to a microphone.

"Is there a problem, May?" said Annabelle quietly. She said it in a guilty manner, as if it was her fault that Drew hadn't gone through to the next round.

"Just ignore Drew, May," muttered Solidad, wrapping an arm around May, who was still gazing at the side-stage, where Drew had disappeared through the door. "He always has a rough time when he loses contests."

"He's just being a sore loser," said Gary, not bothering to hide the cheery grin on his face. "I mean, look at Ally! She didn't get through either, and she's not stomping off the stage, is she?"

Ally was hugging Jay, squeakily exclaiming, "I knew you'd get through, I knew it, I knew it, I knew it!"

Annabelle announced that the Coordinators would have fifteen minutes to prepare for the Battle round. May slowly made her way to the side-stage, oblivious to the murmuring crowd behind her. If she had been listening, she would have heard them mutter to each other, "That Drew kid really is a sore loser," and, "Why does May look so sad? She got through, didn't she?"

Back in the familiar side-room, May sank into a chair, realizing with a sinking heart that Drew had completely disappeared. Ally patted her arm, and said, as if she could read May's mind, "I'll go look for him. If he's gone off to cry like some little baby, I'll beat him up and force him to watch you."

"Ain't you a ray of sunshine!" chortled Gary. Ally grinned back at him.

"Well, really now, Drew should be a man! I mean, marching off stage without a word just because he didn't get through? What a baby!"

"Don't talk about him like that."

The sad voice came from May. Gary and Ally instantly fell silent. Ally quickly pecked Jay on the cheek, before disappearing through a door to find Drew, leaving a long, uncomfortable silence in her wake.

"Let's not talk about Drew," said Solidad after a while. "I mean, we should be happy that we're through to the next round!"

"I _am _happy!" replied Gary, his grin reforming. Jay, who had said nothing, now straightened up in his chair.

"I'm kinda nervous," he admitted reluctantly. "I mean, you're all more experienced than me. I'm gonna get creamed by whichever one of you who's battling me!"

"Actually, I only started Coordinating this year," corrected Gary.

"Yeah, but you've been battling and training for years. I'm so gonna lose!"

"You beat Drew into this round," said May quietly.

"Oi, oi, I thought we weren't gonna talk about that sore lo- I mean, Drew," said Gary, modifying what he meant hastily after receiving a glare from Solidad.

"I'm just saying that Drew's a more experienced Coordinator than Jay, but Jay got through, and Drew didn't," said May, shrugging. She paused for a moment, thinking, and then added, "No wonder Drew feels so bad. I mean, someone less experienced than him has beaten him."

"Ha, his life must suck now," said Gary, laughing. Behind them, the side-door which led to the stage opened, and Annabelle appeared, sweating slightly from the harsh stage lights.

"Right, we have five minutes until you have to battle each other," she said hurriedly. "Are you all ready?"

"Annabelle, you haven't even told us who we're up against," frowned Jay. He then gulped. "Please don't tell me I'm up against Solidad. She's a freaking Grand Festival Champion."

"No, May's against Solidad," said Annabelle absent-mindedly. "You're against Gary."

"Aha, Jacob, you're screwed!" grinned Gary, ruffling Jay's black hair. "You're up against me!"

"Stop being so mean, you'll make Jay pee himself," said Solidad, pushing Gary away from Jay, who had become frozen in his seat.

Everyone stared at Jay.

"Too late," he whispered, his eyes wide, before rushing to the bathroom.

Again, there was a long, uncomfortable silence, before Gary announced, "Well, I'd say 'holy shit', but I believe the correct phrase here would be 'holy piss'."

"That was the worst pun I've ever heard."

"Shut up, Solidad."

...

...

The continuous trickling of the fountain and its calming appearance soothed Drew, who sat on its edge, lightly brushing his fingers through the cold, clear water, staring at his shaking reflection in the moving water. He sighed, and withdrew his hand, wiping it on his jeans before letting it fall limply to his thigh. What was wrong with him?

Distantly, he heard a voice calling for his name. At first, it was unfamiliar, but as it became nearer and clearer, he soon recognized it.

"Drew! Are you out here? Drew!" called Ally, her voice ringing through Drew's ears. Wishing to be alone and unfound, Drew slipped off the fountain's brim, and knelt behind a nearby rose bush. He cursed inwardly – he had grown taller in the last few months, and his bright hair was visible from the top of the bush. He hoped it would blend into the green leaves, and so didn't bother to crouch lower.

He heard Ally enter the garden, and sensed that she was near – very near. She called his name once, twice, before sighing, and mumbling to herself, "He doesn't have any reason to be so moody. It's not like he's the only one who lost..."

Drew listened as her footsteps faded away, and exhaled loudly, realizing he hadn't been breathing while she had been there. He vigorously rubbed his face with his fists – what the heck was his problem? Ally was right – he didn't have a reason to be behaving like this. Groaning quietly, he fell onto the dewy grass, staring up to the cloudy sky above.

'Y'know, Drew, this isn't how Dorian would behave.'

Drew had to stop himself from screaming out loud. Oh God, no, he couldn't be back-

'Yeah, I'm back. Drew, you're acting like a complete idiot. Stomping off stage just because you're not through to the final four? Grow some balls!'

'I didn't stomp off, I walked,' snarled Drew to his conscience, who snorted.

'Stomp, walk, same thing. Put yourself in Jay's shoes – how do you think he felt, seeing you stomp off stage like a spoilt brat? He probably felt guilty that he had gotten into the Battle round, and not you. And compared to Ally, who accepted her loss graciously, you looked like a prize twat.'

'I know, I know,' sighed Drew, resting his arms over his eyes, as if to block everything out. 'I just don't know what's wrong with me.'

'Oho! I do.'

'Oh really?' muttered Drew sceptically. 'Tell me, then.'

'You hate the fact that May's better than you.'

A rose petal blew through the air and landed in Drew's palm.

'I don't think I'm better than May.'

'Yes you do,' sneered Steve. 'You always have. From the day you met her, you've always believed you're better than everyone. And now, the girl you love has passed you. Even Jay's beaten you.'

Drew crushed the rose petal and snarled aloud, "Shut up." He got to his feet and prowled back to the fountain. He knelt beside it and stared into the water. His reflection was blurred and unstill, but Drew could see that he had the expression of a sore loser. He slapped the water with his hand.

"Aha! Found you!"

The sudden voice gave Drew such a surprise, he slipped and toppled over the fountain's rim. Soaked, he splashed back to the surface and looked up to see Tucker staring back at him, laughing his head off.

"Sorry!" laughed Tucker, helping Drew out of the fountain. "I knew you'd be here."

"Look, if you're here to lecture me about being such a sore loser, don't bother," murmured Drew, sitting on the ground, wiping his wet hair. Tucker frowned and sat beside him.

"I wasn't going to do that," said Tucker. "I'm here to tell you to go back to the contest."

Drew turned and stared at Tucker. "What?"

"Go back and cheer for May!" said Tucker, rising to his feet and pulling Drew with him. "I know it was hard for you to lose, Drew, but May needs your support right now."

Drew bit his lip and stared at the hall before him. Tucker was right. He clenched his fists and nodded.

"Right."

Tucker grinned and ruffled Drew's shaggy hair. "That's my boy."

...

...

Gary's Arcanine was sent flying by a blow from Scyther's scythes, and crashed heavily to the ground.

"Arcanine!" yelled Gary, his eyes wide. He rushed to the Pokemon's side, and was horrified to see that Arcanine was knocked out. He stared up at Jay, who was staring back at him with his shiny Scyther.

"And the winner of this battle is Jay, of Slateport City!"

The cheer from the audience was deafening. Jay was immobile for a moment, before turning and hugging his Scyther tightly. "We did it! We did it!" he exclaimed, nearly crying from joy. "We did it, Scyther!"

Gary stroked Arcanine's head for a moment, before returning him to his Pokeball.

"Jay sure was amazing," he murmured, watching the younger Coordinator leap about on stage, his black hair bouncing wildly. The battle had been intense, and most of the audience believed that Gary and his powerful Arcanine would win, seeing as Arcanine had a type advantage. However, it seemed that Jay was not a Trainer to be messed around with. "He's good. He's really good." Gary smiled slightly, and walked across the stage with his arm outstretched.

"Good battle, Jay," he said, shaking the boy's hand. Jay grinned back at him.

"You were brilliant, too!" he said. "I thought Scyther was a goner for a while!" He wrapped an arm around his Scyther and laughed. "But my little guy pulled through, huh!"

Scyther was so happy, its rich green body was positively sparkling from joy. "Jay is now through to the final round," Annabelle was saying, her sing-song voice echoing through the hall. "He will go against either May or Solidad – but who will it be?"

The smile slipped from Jay's face, and Scyther's shiny-induced sparkles faded away as quick as a wink. "Ah," he said abruptly, as he and Gary hurried to some seats directly behind the judges, where Ally sat waiting. "I didn't think of that."

"Think of what?" said Ally, who had just finished having a discussion about Jay's _remarkable _win against Gary with Mr. Sukizo. Jay sat beside her and Scyther sat beside him, stealing Gary's seat. Gary scowled and prowled off to the side-room to sit with May and Solidad instead, grumbling, "Stupid shiny bug gets priority over _me..._"

"Well, I'm gonna be battling either Solidad, a Grand Festival Champion, or May, a terrifying Coordinator who only very narrowly lost to Solidad," said Jay miserably. Scyther's wings drooped beside him.

Ally scowled and punched Jay lightly on the shoulder. "Hey, you're good too, Jacob! You're better than me, and you're much better than Drew! Have some confidence, boy!"

Jay smiled weakly. "Must you call me Jacob, Alexandra?"

Ally scowled again. "Point taken, Jay. Point taken."

The hall suddenly darkened again, and Annabelle reappeared onstage. The entire audience fell as silent as the grave as she brought the microphone to her lips. "Ladies and gentlemen!" she said, her voice a hundred times its usual volume. "Are you ready to find out who'll be going up against Jay of Slateport City?"

The crowd roared. The sheer force of the noise startled Jay's Scyther, making him tumble off his seat. Jay was so nervous that he didn't even notice. He bit his nail again – who was he going to be battling in just a few minutes' time?

"Let's welcome our two battlers!" continued Annabelle over the loud crowd. "First up is Solidad of Pewter City, winner of the Kanto Grand Festival!"

Solidad appeared from behind the curtains, with Gary close in tow. He squeezed her hand gently before hurrying down to sit behind Jay and Ally.

"She seems confident," noted Ally as Solidad grinned and waved at the crowd. "Must be feelin' it too, huh?"

"She has no reason to worry!" said Gary. "She's easily better than May. I mean, May sucks compared to Solidad."

"I wouldn't be too sure."

Gary, Jay and Ally spun around to see Drew making his way through the cheering crowd.

"Drew!" exclaimed Ally, rushing forwards to hug him. "We thought you'd run away or something, dude!"

"I just needed some time for myself, that's all," Drew answered quietly. He sat down beside Gary and frowned at him. "Now, then, what were you saying about May?"

Gary gulped. "I wasn't saying that she's bad, Drew, I was just saying that Solidad is better than—"

"You can't compare Solidad with May now," said Drew. "Sure, Solidad beat her at the Grand Festival, but that was months ago. May has improved so much. At the beginning of last year, May couldn't beat me. Now she has. She's really, really good, Gary." Drew sighed. "It's scary, really, how good she is."

"Look, buddy, I'm just trying to be supportive of my girlfriend."

"And I'm trying to be supportive of mine," snapped Drew. "It's possible to be supportive without slandering people, Gary."

"You're one to talk," scoffed Gary incredulously. "You stormed offstage like some spoilt little boy, just because you didn't get through. You pretty much abandoned May onstage."

"Both of you, stop it!" said Ally, leaning over her seat to separate the two. "Can we please not turn this into a competition of whose girlfriend is better? Don't you dare retort, mister!" she warned as Gary opened his mouth. "Now then, May's coming onstage now! Try not to kill each other, alright?"

"Sorry, Mom," grumbled Gary, while Drew didn't say anything. He craned his neck to see the stage. May was standing on its centre, waving anxiously at the crowd. She seemed to be looking for something in the audience, for her eyes were narrowed in concentration. Drew smiled slightly, and waved his hand up in the air. May caught sight of him, and a smile broke onto her face. She waved back, before hurrying to her respective side of the stage, ready to face Solidad.

"Now our two contestants are in place, it is time for them to show us who they'll be using to battle! Remember, this is a one-on-one battle, May and Solidad. Choose wisely."

Solidad shook her sleeve, and a Pokeball tumbled into her hand. She threw it into the air, calling out; "Arcanine! Shine!"

"Aroooo!"

The gigantic canine appeared on the stage, shaking her glorious mane and pawing the ground eagerly.

"It would seem that both Gary and Solidad are fans of this magnificent Fire-type Pokemon!" commented Annabelle from the sidelines. "Now, who will May be using?"

On the other side of the stage, May was struggling to choose which Pokemon to use. She hadn't expected Solidad to choose Arcanine. She opened her bag and bit her lip. Should she use him? She'd never used him in a contest before...

"I can't believe I'm doing this," she sighed, pulling out the Pokeball. She threw it into the air. "Gyarados, take the stage!"

With an ear-splitting roar, Gyarados crashed to the stage, flailing his muscled body. In the crowd, Drew's jaw dropped. Was May insane!

"A Gyarados!" Annabelle was saying. "What an unexpected choice from May! Whoever knew she had such a powerful Pokemon? Well, now the Pokemon are out and ready to battle, we may begin!"

May did not waste any time. "Gyarados, use Rain Dance!"

Heavy rainfall fell from the ceiling and soaked the entire hall. The crowd were too immersed in the battle to care. Gyarados could now move more freely now that the stage was wet. "Hydro Pump, Gyarados!"

"Arcanine, Agility!"

The flaming canine narrowly missed Gyarados's Hydro Pump. She rushed forward, dodging each jet of water until she was directly before the sea serpent.

"ThunderFang!"

May groaned – Arcanine knew ThunderFang! So much for a type advantage.

"Gyarados, Hydro Pump!"

Gyarados t, but Arcanine was far too quick for him. He shrieked in pain as the fiery dog bit into his neck and sent an electric current through his body.

"Wow, that Arcanine sure is quick!" commented Annabelle. Gyarados pulled away from Arcanine and rose to his full height before sending a sudden Hydro Pump from his mouth and straight into Arcanine's face.

"Genius! May allowed her Gyardos to be bitten, thus opening a window for it to attack Solidad's Arcanine!" said Annabelle over the roaring crowd as Arcanine crashed to the ground. She tried to stand up, but slipped on the wet stage.

"Use Aqua Tail!"

Again, the attack hit – hard. Arcanine was sent blasting across the stage and she crashed violently into the western wall. However, she stood up soon afterwards; she was still able to battle.

"Arcanine's a tough cookie!" Annabelle was saying.

Solidad raised her hand. "Arcanine, use ExtremeSpeed!"

May cursed inwardly as Solidad's Arcanine started to rush around her Gyarados in a circle, slowly edging closer and closer. Arcanine was taunting Gyarados with her speed, and it was working. The sea serpent was roaring in rage, trying to attack the Arcanine but finding that she was moving just too quickly.

Arcanine started to move even quicker; May could hardly see her anymore due to her great speed. She was gaining speed; if Gyarados didn't attack her soon, she would charge straight into him and probably end the battle.

"Gyarados... use Hyper Beam!"

From the crowd, Drew groaned. No...

"Gyarados will never hit Arcanine!" grinned Gary, nudging Drew. "Gyarados and May are doomed!"

On the stage, Gyarados's mouth was wide-open and a large glowing sphere was forming between his fangs. Before May could even blink, Arcanine had charged straight into Gyarados. A blinding light forced her to cover her eyes, and she felt an almighty crash shake the very floor she was standing on. As the light faded, she cautiously opened her eyes.

Arcanine was sprawled on the ground, her eyes closed. Gyarados had been catapulted to the back of the stage, but was miraculously still moving. He snaked his way towards May and made a happy-sounding roar.

"Arcanine is unable to battle!" bellowed Annabelle. She had to yell to make herself heard over the crowd. "Gyarados and May are the winners of this battle! Both attacks hit each other at the same time, but only Gyarados survived! Genius, May! Although Hyper Beam is a tricky move, if Arcanine was to charge herself straight into Gyarados, it was bound to hit her! Brilliant thinking!"

May couldn't believe it. That had been one of the quickest battles... ever!

"WE DID IT!" she shrieked, flinging her arms around Gyarados's neck. "We won, we won, we won! WE WON, GYARADOS! WE ACTUALLY WON!"

Gyarados roared in joy and wriggled his entire body. May laughed hugged him again, before pulling away to hurry over to Solidad.

"You were really, really good, Solidad!" she said as she reached her friend. Solidad was stroking Arcanine, who was regaining consciousness. Solidad smiled.

"Congrats, May," she said, her smile turning into a grin. She hugged May tightly. "You were awesome. Your quick-thinking is astounding!"

"I think I was panicking, actually," laughed May. She squeezed Solidad's hand. "Thank you, though."

"May of Petalburg City is through to the final round, where she will be up against Jay of Slateport City!" Annabelle was saying to the cheering audience. Solidad made her way down to the seats, and sat down beside Ally, who looked a bit troubled.

"Well, that's me out of the contest!" laughed Solidad. She caught sight of the look on Ally's face. "What's wrong? Hey, where's Jay?"

"His phone started ringing halfway into the battle, and I guess it was bad news 'cause he ran full speed out of here," answered Ally sadly. "He wouldn't let me follow him, but Gary and Drew chased after him anyway. He sounded really mad, Sol..."

"And now," Annabelle was saying onstage, "let us welcome Jay back to the stage!"

She and May gazed out at the crowd, but Jay was nowhere in sight. Neither was Gary or Drew, come to that. May's smiled slipped off her face – where were they?

"Jay?" repeated Annabelle, now sounding nervous. She laughed anxiously. "Come on, Jay!"

The hall doors opened at the back, and a figure hurried in. May recognised the bright green hair as it came closer. She hurried to the edge of the stage to lean over to listen to Drew.

"It's Harley," he said hurriedly. "He's been arrested."

"Oh God," said May softly. "For what? Damaging the hall?"

"No, for damaging those fences on the ferry a while ago," answered Drew. Everyone in the audience were staring at them. "Remember? Well, he was arrested today, and he apparently confessed to everything – trying to hurt us, damaging properties, almost killing Jay when he was a kid, paralysing Charlie's arm..."

"Oh God," repeated May,groaning. "I guess it's for the best, but..."

"Is there a problem, Drew?" Annabelle had approached the two of them, and she was looking rather worried. "Where has Jay gone?"

"He's outside," replied Drew. "Erm... family matters."

Annabelle scowled. "Can't they wait? He has a battle!"

"I don't know," shrugged Drew sadly. Annabelle sighed angrily.

"Mama must be informed. Excuse me." And with that, she brushed past the two and hurried over to the judges' panel. May sighed.

"Man... I hope Jay's alright. I can't believe this has happened just before I battle Jay... Typical Harley, always causing trouble."

Something seemed to click in Drew's head. "Wait, you beat Solidad? Oh! I'm so sorry for missing the battle, May, I didn't me—"

"It's alright, Drew," laughed May softly. Drew grinned up at her, and clambered onto the stage. The murmuring audience fell silent, curious as to what was going on, and where Jay had disappeared.

Drew wrapped his arms around May and pulled her into a tight embrace. "You're an amazing Coordinator, May," he whispered into her ear, before cupping her face and kissing her.

The crowd erupted into an uproarious cheer, although some boos could be heard from Drew's fanclub. One of the girls even fainted at the sight of their precious Drew kissing another girl.

May pulled away and laughed. "I don't think your fans like me very much."

Drew pulled her back into his arms. "Who cares?"

The hall doors burst open again and Gary came into view. He pushed through the crowd, looking panicked, until he reached the judges' panel. He spoke hastily to the judges, whose jaws dropped. Annabelle looked shocked. She gulped, and picked up her microphone.

"Jay of Slateport has forfeited. May Maple is the winner of the Goldenrod Contest!"

* * *

Le gasp! Now, if you don't want another year-long wait for the next chapter, you better review. Or else I will get my cat to vomit on your bed. :D


	24. Chapter 24 : Escape

_Crikey. I'm rather late posting this one, aren't I? Well! Hello, readers! I hope you're all well! Here's the second-to-last installment of Love Beats Everything. Yep, that's right everyone; the next chapter will be the final one. It's been a pleasure, dear readers. I love every single one of you!  
_

_Disclaimer: Pokemon is not mine. Seriously, it isn't. LOL, jk, it totally belongs to me._

* * *

May's fingers shook as she reached out for the ribbon Madame Marie was holding. The audience in front of her cheered and roared, and were excited by the sight of such a dazzling prize. It was entirely golden, and it shimmered and sparkled in the stage light. It was one of the most beautiful ribbons May had ever collected. As she touched the ribbon with the tips of her fingers, she suddenly stopped, and let her arm drop limply to her side.

"I can't accept this," she said quietly. Madame Marie frowned at her, and tried pressing the ribbon into May's palm. May backed away, shaking her head. "I don't want to win like this. I don't want to take advantage of Jay's misfortune. I'm sorry, Madame."

The crowd, sensing that something wasn't right, quietened down. Drew sat up in his seat and stared at the stage, anxious to see what was going on.

"Pardon?" Madame Marie was saying, her voice dangerously soft. "You do not wish to have zis ribbon?"

"No. I do not."

Annabelle daintily hurried over to where May and Madame Marie stood, looking quite flustered as the audience got more and more agitated. "Mama, whatever's the matter?"

Madame Marie stared at May for a few seconds, who stared squarely back at her, before turning to her daughter. "She does not want ze ribbon, Annabelle. Tell audience. I'll be leaving now." And with that, she turned her back on May and marched off the stage, disappearing through the door behind the curtains. Annabelle, gobsmacked, turned back to May, but found that she was already halfway down the stage stairs.

May jumped the last four steps and leapt through the crowd, pushing past the confused fans and ignoring their yells. She felt a hand on her arm and turned to see that Drew was running beside her, pushing members of the audience aside for her. He grabbed her hand and held it tight as they pounded up the stairs and crashed through the back doors and into open air.

They kept running through the Goldenrod Hall's gardens, leaving the doors swinging behind them. Through the open doors came Annabelle's amplified voice.

"May of Petalburg City has declined her ribbon. For the first time in Goldenrod history, ladies and gentlemen, there is no winner of the Goldenrod Contest. However, the second ribbon, which goes to the Coordinator with the most unique and beautiful combinations, is still going to be awarded. The winner of the Combination Ribbon is..."

May and Drew were too far away to hear any more. They leapt over a rosebush and crashed into the courtyard, where they leant against the fountain to catch their breaths.

Drew glanced up at May. "Why did you reject it?"

"It wasn't mine to accept," said May, shaking her head. She turned to Drew. "Why did you run?"

He smiled. "Where you go, I go. Besides, we could hardly stay after you publicly pissed Madame Marie off." He stared at the doors leading to the ballroom. "We could sneak in through there to get our stuff, and then make a run for it."

May looked up at the majestic mansion and sighed. "It felt unnatural to stay in this place," she admitted. "I mean, in such a big house. It didn't feel right." She brushed her fingers through the fountain's water. "We belong out in the wild, with our Pokemon. Not in some big fancy mansion."

"This contest wasn't right for us," said Drew softly. "It didn't suit us."

"We haven't had much luck this year, have we?" said May with a quiet laugh. She drew her knees up to her chest and hugged them. "Bad things have happened. Charlie's arm... Typhlosion..." She shook her head. "It hurts to think about it."

Drew bit his lip. He, too, struggled to forget about the things that had happened to them during their journey.

"Drew, I don't want to continue," said May suddenly. She looked up at him, and Drew saw that there were tears running down her face. "Johto isn't for me." She gave Drew a teary smile and added, "It brought us to amazing new people... but I want to go home, Drew. I can't stand it any longer. So please... don't be mad with me."

Drew shook his head. "I'm not mad. We did our best, May, but Johto simply isn't the right place for us. Or maybe we just came here too soon. Either way, I'm not mad with you for wanting to leave. In fact, I've been close to running away myself." He looked down at his feet. "Do you know what I see whenever I close my eyes? You, with those awful scars running down your back."

"I didn't want you to see those," murmured May. "I knew you'd react... badly."

"Of course I'd react badly!" Without realising, Drew's voice had become very loud, and his words echoed through the courtyard. He took a deep breath to calm himself. "You saved my life, May, and I'm grateful. But the fact that you hurt yourself in the process is unbearable for me." He shook his head, and found he couldn't speak anymore.

"It's been a bad trip for us," said May quietly after a while. Drew snorted.

"That's putting it mildly." He stood up and held out his arm. Without a word, May took his hand and the two scurried across the courtyard and through the ballroom doors. Running through the mansion, they heard people leaving the stage, complaining loudly about May's disappearance.

"I came all the way from Lavender Town to see this!"

"Madame Marie must be so ashamed."

"At least Solidad won the Combination Ribbon."

"Yeah, she deserved it."

"She should've won."

"Ignore them," hissed Drew, gripping May's hand tighter yet. They ran through the hallways until the crowd were far behind them, and they were soon in their rooms, throwing everything they owned into their bags. They couldn't explain it, but they felt a sense of great urgency. They didn't speak as they gathered their Poke Balls, clipping them onto their belts before giving the place one last look.

The beds were still undone from their previous sleepover, and the kitchen still smelt like freshly-made pancakes. Pillows were strewn all over the place from their rather messy fights, and the kitchen window was covered in flour after Drew accidentally dropped his pancake ingredients into the garden. A spatula lay abandoned on the floor where Solidad knocked it onto Drew's foot, and one of Ally's socks hung on the sink's faucet for some peculiar reason that only Ally knew.

"You're not leaving without saying goodbye, are you?"

Drew and May turned qiuickly around to see Gary and Ally standing in the doorway.

"Ally! Gary!" exclaimed May. "We weren't... I mean, we were – "

But Ally was shaking her head. "We understand, guys," she said, smiling. "I wouldn't want to stick around after royally rejecting one of Johto's most prestigious ribbons to the most easily-irritated woman in Goldenrod."

Gary laughed at this. "You have balls, May. I respect that." He stepped forward and, to May's great surprise, gave her a brief hug. "You'll be competing again soon, right?" he asked, pulling away.

May shook her head. "I'm taking a break from Coordinating for this year. Three years in a row is too much – a girl needs a holiday after a while!"

"Your name'll go down in history," grinned Gary. "May Maple: The Girl Who Pissed Off That Angry Frenchwoman and Caused the Most Awkward Moment of the Century."

"I wish I had a spiffy title like that," said Ally. She suddenly widened her eyes. "Oh, poo! I was supposed to be finding Jay! Shit!" Ally spun on her heels and sped out of the room. Three seconds later, she crashed back into the room, flew into Drew and May, gave them a spine-crushing hug, and rushed out again, screeching, "Come visit the farm soon!"

Gary stepped out of the room as well, saying, "I'll see you around, kiddos. Solidad wanted to say goodbye as well, but Madame Marie pretty much has her in lock-down right now, in case she decides to reject her ribbon as well."

"Thanks, Gary," said Drew with a smile. Gary nodded, and the two bumped their fists together.

"See you 'round, bros!" And with that, Gary turned and followed Ally down the corridor.

Alone again, Drew turned to May. He expected to see her in tears after saying goodbye to her friends, but he was surprised to find her laughing.

"My name'll go down in history, huh?" she said. She grinned. "I like that." She walked over to the window, opened it , and pushed her head through it. "Hear that, Johto? I'm going back to Hoenn! Peace out, suckers!"

She slammed the window shut and laughed again.

"That felt good."

The two left the room behind them and walked briskly down the hallways.

"So, are we going to catch the train to Cherrygrove or what?" Drew asked as they crossed the now-empty entrance hall.

"Nah," said May. "I want an adventure."

...

...

...

"Hey, Max, d'you wanna come with me to – _holy Arceus!_" Dawn dropped the flask of hot chocolate she was carrying over to Max and the hot liquid steamed into the snow around their feet. She stared with her mouth wide open at Max. "How did you manage _that_?"

Max had just emerged from one of Snowpoint's many forests with a massive Mamoswine stomping behind him.

"Been up all night training him!" said Max proudly, tapping Mamoswine on the tusk. Mamoswine shook his body happily, his fur shuddering.

Dawn quickly picked up her dropped flask and scurried over to where the two stood. "You trained him this fast?" she exclaimed, staring at Mamoswine and Max in turn. "Holy Kyogre! Why did you suddenly want to train him?"

"Paul's coming out of the hospital this afternoon, right?" said Max. "The doctors told us that he wouldn't be able to walk very well at all – the pins in his ankle will take a while to stop hurting. We phoned Paul's brother Reggie but he's out in some other region – Unova, or something - and isn't able to look after Paul. So, Ash and I decided to look after Paul ourselves, and this is where Mamoswine comes in." He patted Mamoswine's flank and grinned. "Mamoswine's gonna carry Paul!"

Dawn blinked. "Paul would rather be dead than be carried around by a giant pig."

"Don't diss," said Max airily. Mamoswine lowered his forelegs to the snowy ground, and Max clambered onto his back, grabbing tufts of his thick hair. "Mamoswine is really soft and warm, not to mention the fact that he's totally badass. He's a giant pig with _horns_, for Pete's sake!"

"Actually, Mamoswine does look pretty hardcore," Dawn admitted. She sighed, and laughed. "Alright then! I guess this is the only way we can look after Paul without him accidentally killing his foot again."

Max slipped down Mamoswine's flank and landed in the snow beside Dawn. He turned to her.

"Sweet."

...

...

...

"Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"

Gyarados thrashed about in the river the moment he escaped from his Pokeball, splashing water all over the place.

"Calm down, Gyarados!" yelled May. "You're soaking me!"

Gyarados roared one last time before quietening down, wriggling around happily in the river. He looked up at May, who was standing on the river bank staring at the city of Goldenrod behind her.

"Gyah?" (Are you alright?)

May turned to him and smile. "Drew's gone to the hospital to say goodbye to Charlie, so I'm just waiting for him."

As if on cue, Drew appeared in the distance, walking briskly towards the riverbank.

"Charlie's much better," he said brightly – a little too brightly, thought May, but she didn't comment on it.

"That's good," she smiled. "Is his arm...?"

Drew's face darkened. "Not yet." He picked up May's bag and tossed it onto Gyarados's back, who grunted and quivered his scaly body. "Shall we?"

May grinned. "I thought you'd never ask!"

With a leg-up from Drew, May scurried up Gyarados's flank and positioned herself between two scales. Drew, being slightly less agile than May, took about five minutes before he was finally sitting in front of May, panting quite a bit.

"Someone should really invent some sort of ladder you can attach to huge Pokemon," he grunted.

"No, you just need to exercise more, Drew. Fatso."

Before Drew could snap back at her, May kicked Gyarados's sides, and with an ear-deafening roar, Gyarados started to swim through the river, writhing against the current with unbelievable speed. Within just a few minutes, Goldenrod was far behind Drew and May, with only the beautiful Johto countryside in front of them for miles and miles.

"This is more like it!" shouted May, laughing with glee as the wind roared in her ears. Drew couldn't help but laugh with her – it felt good to be free from the urban jungle of Goldenrod.

"To Cherrygrove, yeah?" he said, turning around to look at May.

"Can't we go all the way to Petalburg on Gyarados?" asked May.

"That would probably kill him," frowned Drew, but Gyarados's roar said otherwise.

"Gyarados is way quicker than a ferry!" exclaimed May. "If we keep going at this speed, we'll be at Cherrygrove by tonight, and we'll be back home by tomorrow night!"

Her words were true: as night was falling, the dimming lights of Cherrygrove City came into view. May, who had climbed up to sit on Gyarados's head, pulled on his whiskers, which she had been using as reins. Gyarados's speed immediately dropped, and he swam to the side of the river, allowing Drew and May to drop onto the grassy bank of a field a mile or so away from Cherrygrove.

"You were brilliant, Gyarados," said May softly, stroking the panting Gyarados's side. Gyarados roared softly, before dropping his head onto the bank, exhausted.

May returned Gyarados to his Ball before turning to Drew, who was already setting up their camp for the night.

"This'll be our last night in Johto, huh?" she said, staring up at the darkening skies, where stars were already appearing. "Feels weird."

"Are you gonna stay in Hoenn 'til next year's contests start?" asked Drew, leaning against a tree stump. May sat down next to him and shrugged.

"I don't know," she answered. "Maybe."

Drew glanced at her. "Maybe?"

May sighed. "I guess I might go find Max, y'know? Patch things up with him."

"In Sinnoh?" Drew sounded surprised. "By yourself?"

"I wouldn't be by myself," said May quietly. "I'd be with my brother, who's probably found Ash and Brock by now. Of course, that's just an idea. I'll probably just stay in Hoenn 'til next year's competitions start, and then I'll go to Sinnoh and start competing there."

Drew yawned suddenly. "Man, I'm too tired to think right now," he said with a laugh. He stood up and pulled May up with him. For a moment, the two stood there together, looking up at the skies, where the last of the sun was slowly fading.

"A lot has changed, huh?" said May, smiling softly.

"Yeah," agreed Drew. "I mean, look at me; I've grown like six inches!"

May ruffled his green hair with a grin. "Can't call you shortie anymore, huh?"

"Get off!"

"Make me."

Drew shoved her away but May hoisted herself onto his back and continued to ruffle his mop of hair. He lost his balance and the two collapsed to the ground, where they tumbled down the bank and very nearly into the river. Covered in mud, the two staggered back up the bank, with May giggling madly and Drew fuming.

"That's what you get for touching my hair," he grumbled, sitting back down beside the tree stump. May shrugged off her backpack and pulled a towel out of it.

"Oh, hush," she said, burying her mud-covered face into the towel. "You old spoilsport, we never get to mess around anymore!"

"We're renowned Coordinators, May, we can hardly –"

"Diglett!"

The two froze.

"Diglett Diglett Dig Dig Dig!"

Drew and May slowly turned around to see a very familiar Diglett bob its way past them, and balancing dangerously on its head was _the square of chocolate._

"You've got to be kidding me!" breathed Drew, wide-eyed. He stood up and stared down at the Diglett, who was blissfully unaware of the two Coordinators staring at it.

"How old is that piece of chocolate now?" said May in disbelief. "It can't possibly be the same one...?"

The Diglett stopped moving and turned to look up at Drew and May. "Dig?"

Drew peered down at the chocolate on its head. "Holy crap, it _is _the same one! Look!"

May leaned forwards as well and inspected the piece of chocolate. It was covered in bits of grass and dirt and heavens know what else, but it was still engraved with the familiar logo of _Petalburg Candy._

"D'you think it ever noticed it has a chocolate on its head?" wondered May aloud as the Diglett bopped away over the hill, the chocolate bouncing up and down as it disappeared into the night.

"Shuckle?"

Drew spun around and groaned. "This can't be real."

Turning around, May saw an even more familiar-looking Shuckle shuffling past their feet, humming happily to itself as it went.

"It's the same Shuckle, isn't it?" said May, staring.

"Yep."

"The one we kept tripping over."

"Yep."

"The one who kept spraying juice all over us."

"Yep."

The Shuckle paused at the top of the hill and looked down at Drew and May, who stood dumbfound at the foot of the hill, their mouths wide open in shock.

"Shuck Shuck!" And with that, it turned and shuffled over the hill.

"Right," said Drew slowly, turning to May, "if that Skarmory that slashed your back shows up, we're leaving."

May laughed and sat back down again. "I dunno, I think it's like they're saying goodbye to us," she said, smiling. She pulled out her sleeping bag from her backpack and snuggled into it. Drew reached into her bag and did the same with his own sleeping bag. They rested their heads against a large clump of moss and stared up at the sky yet again. It was now completely dark, and the stars shone brightly against the pitch black heavens. The crescent moon smiled down at them.

"It's cold," said May suddenly. She sat up. "I'll get Blaziken to ligh-,"

Drew reached out for her and gently pulled her back down. "It's alright," he said softly. "I'll keep you warm." He wrapped his arms around May and pulled her closer to him, so that her head rested on his chest. May breathed in the familiar scent of his black t-shirt, and closed her eyes.

"Goodnight, Drew," she whispered.

"Night, May," murmured Drew back. He stroked her hair. "I love you."

There was a silence.

"I love you too, Drew."

...

...

...

Early the next morning, Drew and May ate their last breakfast in Johto, packed up their things and returned to the river with Gyarados. The river gradually widened until they finally reached the sea, with Cherrygrove City's docks far behind them. May steered Gyarados at the front, while Drew sat futher down the serpentine Pokemon's body, watching as Johto became smaller and smaller.

Gyarados had never been in the sea before, and May had to stop him several times from diving beneath the waves to explore the new and exciting area. When he caught sight of a ferry travelling between Cherrygrove and Petalburg, he decided to race against it. The boost in his speed was incredible, and Drew and May had to hold on tight to stop themselves from flying into the waves.

The sun was just starting to set when Petalburg City came into sight. Gyarados was zooming along so quickly that May couldn't slow him down in time, and so the Pokemon crashed into the beach and sent Drew and May catapulting through the air and thudding into the sand.

"Jesus, that was one hell of an entrance!" exclaimed Drew, spitting sand from his mouth as he sat up. He helped May up and the two turned to Gyarados, who lay on the beach, looking rather dazed.

"I think Gyarados needs some rest now," laughed May. She brushed sand from her shoulders before reaching into her bag, taking Gyarados's Poke Ball out and returning the great serpent. Once the Ball was safely in her pocket again, she turned and looked up and down the beach. "It's still as beautiful as ever here," she sighed.

Drew nodded beside her. "It is," he agreed. "It's weird, actually, being back in Hoenn." He stretched his arms and yawned. "But it feels so good."

May didn't say anything. She picked up her discarded backpack and made her way up the beach, with Drew following behind her. The beach was quiet; although it was much warmer in Hoenn than in Johto, it was still a bit chilly, which explained the absence of any beach-goers. Drew slipped his hand into hers, and they made their way to the grassland that led to Petalburg City in silence.

At last, just as the sun completely disappeared beneath the horizon, they reached Petalburg City. The stores were all closed for the night and there was barely anyone in the streets. Hand in hand, Drew and May walked down the main road until they found the little route that led up to the Maple residence, behind Petalburg Gym, which was already locked up.

"Home," breathed May. She found her eyes were welling up, and did nothing to wipe the tears away. "I'm home!" She let go of Drew's hand and hurried up the steep road that led to her house. She practically flew over the rosebushes that lined the front garden and ran up to the front door. She was so happy to be home that she didn't notice the large lorry parked a few metres away from the house, or that the bench she sometimes sat on in the porch was no longer there.

She knocked on the door twice before Caroline appeared in the doorway, her eyes wide with surprise.

"May, darling!" she exclaimed. "You're home!"

May flung herself around her mother's neck and hugged her tight. "Mom, I've missed you so much!" she exclaimed.

"I've missed you, too, honey!" replied Caroline, embracing her daughter. "But why're you home so early?"

"Johto didn't suit us very well," said May with a small laugh. "It was fun, but... yeah, we'd rather not talk about it. But we're so glad to be back!"

"We?" frowned Caroline.

"Oh, Drew's here!" explained May. She backed away to reveal Drew standing behind her, panting slightly after chasing her up the steep road.

"Drew, dear, how are you?" greeted Caroline.

"A bit tired, but fine, thank you!" answered Drew politely.

Caroline looked back and forth at the two, and May glimpsed a rather sheepish expression on her mother's face. "Mom?" she said, frowning. "What is it?" A chilly breeze gusted up her back and she shivered. "Shall we go inside? It's getting rather cold!" She tried to brush past her mother and into the house, but Caroline closed the door quickly.

"No, let's stay out here for a while!" she said briskly, blocking May from opening the door again. "It's such a lovely night – let's catch up out here, hm?"

May stared at her mother. "Mom, what's wrong? Why can't we go inside?"

Caroline's false smile dropped, and she sighed. "Oh, May dear..."

"What is it, Mom?" May was alarmed by her mother's behaviour. Drew shuffled his feet awkwardly, unsure of whether or not he should leave the two for a while.

"Your father's been given a new job," said Caroline, her voice barely audible. "He's been appointed as a member of the Elite Four."

May stared at Caroline. "But that's awesome, Mom! Why're you so sad?"

Caroline bit her lip. "It's not the Hoenn Elite Four he's been appointed to, May," she said quietly. Her eyes met May's.

"We're moving to Unova."

May felt her backpack slip from her grasp and crash to the ground, but did nothing to pick it up again. "What?" she breathed, her eyes wide.

"I'm so sorry, May! I was planning on telling you once you finished the Johto Grand Festival," explained Caroline desperately. "I was going to call you... We only just found out a few days ago and we have to move as soon as possible. The new Gym Leader for Petalburg's arriving tomorrow afternoon."

"So you've packed up my things without even telling me?" snapped May, outraged. "And you weren't going to tell me for another six months, when you've long moved to Unova?"

"May, dearest, please understand –"

May grabbed Drew's hand, picked up her bag and marched away from her mother. "I'll go to LaRousse with Drew!" she shouted, refusing to look at Caroline as she stormed across the garden. "I'm not going to Unova!"

Caroline hurried forwards and grabbed May by the wrist. "You're not going to live with some boy at your age, May Maple!" she snapped. "You're barely a teenager, for goodness' sake! I wasn't very happy when I found out you were going to Johto with Drew alone – I thought you would be travelling with that nice Solidad girl as well!"

May yanked her wrist from her mother's grip. "Some boy?" she repeated. "You had no problem when I was travelling with Ash and Brock, Mom!"

"That's because your brother was with you to make sure nothing happened," answered Caroline curtly.

May scoffed. "Max is ten, Mom. And stop trying to control what I do. If I want to travel, I will travel. If I want to leave home, then I will."

"May, I know this is a shock for you, but you're not going to live with a stranger! I won't allow it, May. You're coming to Unova and that's final."

"Mom, you –!"

Before May could finish, she felt Drew tug on her hand, and before she knew it, she was running down the hill that led to the city with Drew by her side and her mother's voice echoing behind her.

"May! May Maple, come back this instance!"

"Drew, stop!" shouted May, tripping over the pavement and nearly falling down to the concrete ground. But Drew didn't stop; he continued to pull her along the streets. "Drew!" repeated May desperately. "I just said that to annoy Mom! I wasn't being serious about running away!"

"I am," said Drew, rounding a corner. Petalburg City's train station came into view. He stopped running and May collapsed to the floor, panting as she leant on a streetlamp. Drew knelt beside her. "Unova is hundreds of miles away," he said quietly, looking down. "I can't... I can't face losing you, May."

"Drew, I –"

Drew put his hand on May's cheek and kissed her. The streetlight flickered as they sat on the cold concrete, and May wrapped her arms around Drew's neck and pulled him closer.

"Let's do it," she whispered, pulling away. She gulped. "Let's run."

Drew stared at her. "Are you sure?"

May nodded. Without a word, they stood up and sprinted towards the train station, hand-in-hand. As they got closer, they caught sight of a train on one of the two platforms.

"Train No. 6," said Drew, reading the laminated sign on the train's front. "The one that goes to LaRousse."

May reached into her pocket. "I'll pay for the tickets."

"No time for that – look!"

The train was already slowly rolling forwards. The platform was empty save for a sleepy-looking guard and the man in the ticket booth.

"Run," hissed Drew. May put her money back in her pocket and rushed forwards. The two simultaneously leapt over the ticket barrier and crashed onto the platform. The guard jumped to life and started shouting after them. Drew cursed under his breath and urged May to run faster. The guard continued to shout and started to give chase, and he was unnervingly quick.

"May, run! _Run!_"

Drew was the first to reach a train door and leapt through an open door, before turning around and reaching out for May's hand. The train was picking up speed and May could barely catch up with it. She stretched her arm as much as possible and ran as fast as she could, but Drew was just out of her reach.

"Drew, I can't! I can't!"

Drew leant as much as he could his fingers brushed against May's. Just as their hands finally interlocked, May tripped over a hole in the platform. Her hand fell out of Drew's grasp and she crashed to the ground, hitting her head hard on the concrete.

"May! MAY!"

Drew tried to jump off the train, but a man who was standing behind him grabbed him by the shoulder. "Don't be an idiot, boy! If you jump, you'll be killed!"

Drew struggled against the man's grip and continued to scream May's name. He saw May stagger to her feet. He heard her yell something but couldn't understand what she was saying. He continued to shout and struggle against the man who was holding him back. He finally tugged himself free and leaned as far out of the train as he could. The train was already entering Petalburg Woods, and Drew could barely see the platform anymore. The only thing he could see was May standing on the edge, still shouting something over and over as the guard came running towards her, along with two other figures - May's parents.

Just as the platform completely disappeared from his view, Drew finally heard what May was shouting.

"I love you, Drew!"

The train suddenly became submerged in trees, and darkness fell around Drew. He fell to the floor and stared blindly ahead as the man behind him yelled at him for being so reckless. Drew didn't hear him. He clenched his fists and felt a sudden urge to punch something, anything... but his hands fell limp by his side. He couldn't do anything. It was futile. Pointless. Useless. All he could think of was one thing: May was leaving for Unova.

He had lost her.

* * *

_Please don't punch me, dear readers! Instead, review. Reviewing is good and healthy for your bones, yes-yes. _

_Edit: Please cheer up! It isn't the last chapter! And you know me, guys - I love a (bad) cliffhanger! Then again, I don't blame you for being so irked with me, seeing as it's taken me like four years to write this fanfiction. But have faith in me, folks! It was rather depressing to wake up to several annoyed reviews, actually. Trust me, folks, the next chapter will make things aaaall better again._


	25. Epilogue: Love Beats Everything

**My dear, loyal readers: I give you the final chapter of Love Beats Everything. I gotta say this: it's been a pleasure writing this, and I hope you all enjoy the last installment of my beloved story.**

* * *

Drew stared into the mirror and frowned. "Gary," he called, still peering at his reflection, "on a scale of one to ten, how girly does my hair look?"

Gary glanced over from where he was staring out the window and blinked. "Eight," he answered.

Drew turned. "Eight?" he groaned.

"And a half."

Drew returned to the mirror and anxiously flicked his hair. "Oh man. Maybe I should get it cut. I don't want to look like the goddamned bride in all the photos."

Gary looked away from the window. "Relax, I was kidding!" he exclaimed. He fiddled with his tie and laughed nervously. "I can't believe I'm telling _you _to relax, as if you're the one getting married in five hours' time."

"Stop staring out the window, you're just freaking yourself out some more," sighed Drew. He stood up and pulled Gary away from the window. He started to lead him towards the door. "Look, let's go downstairs and wait with the others, hm?"

"Fine," grumbled Gary. He loosened his tie and left the room. Drew lingered for a moment, and looked around the room.

It looked exactly like it did when he stayed there eight years ago. The green wallpaper still hung on the walls, and the extra bed where May had slept beside him all those years ago was still against the wall. Even the garden outside the window was the same as ever, with its rosebushes and the stone bench where he and May once spent an entire night together.

When Gary first got engaged, he decided he wanted to get married not in a church, but outside. Drew didn't blame him – for Coordinators and Trainers, it felt so much more natural to be outside with Pokemon rather than inside. It was natural instinct for them. When Ally found out about the engagement, she immediately suggested that they used her sprawling gardens and fields as the location for their wedding. And so, ten months later, here they all were.

Drew closed the door behind him and hurried to catch up with Gary, who was obsessively playing around with his scarlet velvet tie as he walked downstairs. Drew went ahead to open the door that led to the living room, and as he pushed it open, he was greeted by a flying pink slipper slapping into his face.

"Out!" screeched a voice. "This room is occupied by the bride and her bridal army! No men allowed!"

The door was slammed shut, leaving an even more nervous Gary and a very disgruntled Drew standing in the hallway.

"I see Ally is having fun being the maid of honour," grumbled Drew as they made their way to the kitchen. He wiped his face with his sleeve. "That slipper smelt like Miltank poo."

"Did you see her?" asked Gary eagerly.

"I was a bit preoccupied with having a slipper being catapulted into my face, Gary, to notice what your future wife was wearing."

They walked into the kitchen and were very surprised to find Charlie sitting by the table, drinking coffee with another person that Drew only very vaguely recognised.

"Charlie!" exclaimed Gary, rushing forward to shake his hand. "I had no idea you'd already arrived! Man, I haven't seen you for months!"

Charlie laughed and stood up. He looked the same as ever; his long red hair was tied back in a loose ponytail, and he wore a black leather jacket over his formal suit. "I just got here half an hour ago," he explained. "My brothers are outside helping with the decorations. I wanted to help, but, well!" He waved his arm and grinned. "It's still stiff, but it's cool, huh?"

His sleeve fell down and revealed the prosthetic hand and arm connected to Charlie's shoulder. It was incredibly life-like, save for the metal bolts that pierced through the wrist, elbow and knuckles. As the arm moved sideways, it emitted a mechanical noise not too dissimilar to that of a robot.

"Impressive!" noted Drew. "When you said you were amputating your arm, I was worried, but that arm is pretty sweet, I'll admit."

"It was pointless, really, to keep an arm that I couldn't use," said Charlie with a shrug. "It took me a few years to pluck up the courage, but I'm glad I went ahead with the amputation."

Charlie's white-haired companion stood up and smirked. "My father made sure he got the very best prosthetic arm in the entire world," he said airily. He turned to Gary and held out a hand. "Winter de Sirene. Charlie's partner. Congratulations on the wedding."

"Stop being so arrogant, Winter," sighed Charlie, rolling his eyes. He lowered his coffee to the table and added, "You remember Winter, right, Drew? You met him just before you left Johto after that contest in Goldenrod, didn't you?"

"Yes, I vaguely remember him," said Drew. "So when you say partner, do you mean financially, or...?"

"Romantically, yes," said Winter, wrapping his white hair around his finger. He frowned. "Problem?"

"Winter, if you keep being so rude, I'll send you back to Goldenrod," grumbled Charlie. He gave Gary an apologetic smile. "Sorry about him. So, when's the rest of the gang arriving?"

Eerily enough, the doorbell rang just as he said that. Gary gulped. "I'll go get that," he said. "It's probably Gramps, and Ash and his mom." He peered through the window and his face grew paler. "And Brock. And Dawn. And Misty. And Iris. And Tracey. And Ritchie. And about fifty other people. Oh God, why did I invite so many people?"

"Because you like to pretend you're popular," answered Drew smoothly. "Now, go answer the door. I'll go outside and help out."

"I'll join you," said Charlie, as Gary disappeared through the door. "My arm needs some stretching, anyway. Winter, you coming?"

Winter shook his head. "Too cold out there," he muttered. "I wish I was back in my holiday home at Slateport."

"You baby," laughed Charlie. He and Drew left through the back door and stepped into the garden. It was bustling with guests and workers alike, chattering with old friends and setting up the marquee and endless tables. Drew spotted a familiar shock of black hair pitching a food tent, his shaggy mane pulled back with a hair tie as he worked.

"Jay!"

Jay straightened up and looked around, before catching sight of Drew and grinning. He hurried over immediately. As he approached, Drew saw that he was still as short as ever – then again, Drew had sprouted quite a few inches over the past few years, so everyone was short to him these days.

"How's it going?" Jay bumped his fist against Drew's and laughed. "I haven't seen you for a year, man! How's life in Hoenn?"

"Pretty good," answered Drew. "I've become the Champion Coordinator four times in a row now. They're running out of awards to give me. You?"

"I won the Kanto Grand Festival last week!" Jay pointed to the ribbon pinned to his tuxedo's lapel and grinned. "Great, huh? Oh, hey, is May coming?"

Drew hesitated. "She can't make it," he said quietly. "She's really busy in Unova. When she first got there, there was no such thing as Coordinating in Unova, so May held the very first contest there. Since then she's become an important judge and Champion in Unova."

"Bummer," said Jay, raising an eyebrow. "I mean, it's great she's a success over there and all, but still. So, you two still...?"

"I don't know," shrugged Drew. "We phone each other every day and visit as much as possible – now that we're both Champions, it's easily-affordable."

"It's a real shame she isn't coming," sighed Jay. He shook his hair from his hair tie and straightened it with his fingers. "Real shame."

Drew shrugged again and said nothing for a while. Suddenly, something hit him. "Wait," he said slowly, "when Charlie said 'my brothers are outside', did he mean...?"

"DREW, HUN!"

Someone very tall and very strong suddenly lifted Drew from the ground and hugged him tight.

"Harley!" exclaimed Drew, choking slightly from how tightly he was being embraced. He was dropped to the ground, and he turned to find himself facing a slender man with curly purple hair in a green tuxedo.

"The one and only, darling," grinned Harley. Thankfully, his Cacturne hat was absent from his outlandish outfit. "I was released from jail two years ago, and I have now become a FABULOUS and BETTER person!"

"That's good!" said Drew, backing away slightly. "...I guess." He turned to Jay and cocked an eyebrow. "So, you two've reconciled?"

"We're getting counselling," muttered Jay as Harley started to braid his hair. "A lot of it."

"Drew?"

Drew turned around and felt his jaw drop. "Annabelle?"

The little French girl he had met eight years ago was gone. Her hair was now much shorter and choppier, and the girly dresses her mother dressed her up in were replaced with a plummeting violet dress that showed quite a bit of her cleavage.

"It's so good to see you!" she exclaimed, shaking Drew by the hand. "I haven't seen you since you were at my mother's contest! Well, I've seen you on television... but wow, you've grown!"

"I didn't know you'd be coming today, Annabelle!" said Drew, raising his eyebrows. "You look... good!"

"I'm a bridesmaid, actually," grinned Annabelle. "I just got off the train now. I need to get changed – d'you know where the rest of the bridesmaids are?"

"In the living room," answered Drew. He froze. "Is Madame Marie here?"

"God, no!" laughed Annabelle. "When she found out that you were Gary Oak's best man, she refused to come. She'll never forgive you and May for running out of her contest – but man, that was just hilarious."

She waved Drew goodbye and hurried up to the house, where she disappeared into the kitchen. Drew turned back to Jay only to find him being harassed by Harley, who was exclaiming that Jay really needed to sort out his nails and was brandishing his nail filer at him. Drew slowly backed away from the two and hurried back into the house.

Winter was no longer in the kitchen, and the room was empty. Drew heard voices coming from the hallway, and went over to the doorway to see who was there.

"DREW!"

Ash, Brock and Max pounced on him, and the four collapsed to the floor in a flurry of excitement.

"Oi, oi, get off my best man!" Gary pulled the others off Drew and helped him back to his feet.

"Best man, huh?" exclaimed Max. Now eighteen years old, he, too, had grown to be very tall. He had finally ditched his old glasses for a pair of fashionable black-rimmed ones, and his hair was cropped shorter. "So you're the one who stole Ash's title as Gary's best man, eh?"

"Give over!" laughed Drew, pushing Max away.

"I felt so _betrayed _when I found out," said Ash, sighing dramatically. "To think that my childhood friend has disowned me in favour of this green-haired basta-"

"Enough on the melodrama, Ashy-boy!" exclaimed Gary. "Childhood friend? We hated each other's guts, bro! But nah, it was a tough decision between you and Drew. But at least I made you an usher."

"It's not special enough!" said Ash, but he laughed. "I'm just kidding. It's an honour to be in your wedding party, man!"

"Ugh, enough of the bromance, guys," muttered someone from behind the four. They turned to see Misty, Dawn and a girl who Drew presumed to be Iris walking towards them. The three looked strikingly beautiful, especially Misty with her vibrant red hair dancing around her shoulders as she slinked her arm around Ash's.

"Still a killjoy, eh, Misty?" teased Gary, before narrowly dodging a slap from Misty.

"Just 'cause it's your wedding day doesn't mean I'm not going to hit you, Gary," she said darkly, but she soon grinned and added, "It's great to see you again."

"You too," replied Gary. He suddenly narrowed his eyes. "So what's this I hear about you and Ash getting engaged?"

Both Misty and Ash's faces flushed red.

"N-nothing!" exclaimed Ash. "Nothing at all! Who told you that?"

"Max did," said Gary with a devilish grin. "So those rings on your fingers are purely coincidental and have nothing to do with any engagement between you two?"

"Shut up, Gary!"

Ash and Misty quickly scarpered from the room, leaving the others laughing in their wake.

"Man, I don't know when those two are ever gonna be confident with their relationship in public," chuckled Brock. He glanced down at his watch and raised an eyebrow. "Whoa, the wedding's starting in an hour, guys. We better go outside and help with the preperations." Brock rolled up his sleeves, revealing his toned arms. Over the past few years, he had broadened quite a bit and now had a very muscular physique, due to his time spent on his ranch back at Kanto rearing and breeding Pokemon.

"We'll join you," said Dawn. She wobbled slightly in her heels and added, "If I don't fall over, that is."

"That'd be hilarious," grinned Iris, as they moved towards the door.

"Hey, don't be mean to my girlfriend!" scowled Max, scurrying after them. He suddenly paused, and turned to Drew. "Shit, where's Paul?"

"Who?" said Drew, cocking his head.

Max smacked his forehead. "He's a friend of ours. He travels around with Ash sometimes, when they're not too busy being Champions. I swear to God he came inside with us, but I have a feeling he's –"

Someone suddenly screeched from the living room, followed by several other high-pitched screams.

"GET OUT!"

The door crashed open and a young man with silver hair casually walked out with a completely straight expression on his calm face. The door slammed behind him with a deafening bang, but he didn't seem at all bothered. In fact, he seemed quite proud of himself.

"Paul, did you just sneak into the room where the bridesmaids are changing?" groaned Max, hurrying up to his side.

"Yes."

Paul brushed past the boys and disappeared after the others.

"Did he just peek on my bride?" demanded Gary, fuming. "I didn't even invite him!"

"He invited himself," sighed Max. "I'm sorry about this, guys. He's always acting like a complete jerk, just to annoy me, mainly. He still hasn't forgiven me for dating Dawn."

"We'll get him back later," said Drew. "Now, I need to go and finish my best man's speech, so I'll catch you later."

"You mean you haven't finished it?" snapped Gary. "Drew, the reception is in like two hours, man!"

"Finished?" repeated Drew. He laughed, and did something he hadn't done since he was a teenager – he flicked his hair out of his eyes in one swift motion. "I haven't even started it."

He dodged Gary's fist and threw himself upstairs, hearing Max laugh uproariously as Gary screeched obscenities after Drew's disappearing figure. Once upstairs, Drew made his way to his temporary bedroom and closed the door behind him. He sighed and pulled a piece of paper from his pocket. Glancing down at it, he saw it was still as blank as ever.

"Better get started," he murmured, crossing the room towards the bedside table that stood beside his bed. As he walked, he glimpsed himself in the mirror, and paused. He hadn't noticed how much he had grown until last week, when Gary forced him to buy a brand new suit because people could see his ankles peeking through his old one. When he first became a Coordinator, he was exactly five feet in height. Now, eleven years later, he was twenty-one years old and just over six feet tall. His hair was a bit longer than he kept it as a child, and his trademark bangs still hung over his face. He had stopped his silly hair-flicking years ago, but couldn't resist doing it again today. He smiled to himself, and sat down on the bed. He always flicked his hair to annoy people – mostly May. When he was with May, he did it non-stop.

Drew picked up a biro and started working on the speech, chewing his lip as he stared down at the paper.

_This is a speech about my best friend, Gary Oak, who likes me more than he likes Ash._

No, no, that would get him killed by Ash. Try again, he thought.

_When Gary first met his wife, she was pregnant with the child of a crazy man who has been in jail until two years ago. Oh, and she was sixteen years old._

No. That would get him absolutely murdered by pretty much everyone in the wedding.

"Uncle Drew?"

Drew glanced up from the paper and was surprised to see a little girl standing in the doorway, wearing a soft white dress embroidered with red roses and bows. Her long violet hair was braided with a strand of red ribbon, and she looked up at Drew with her wide green eyes.

"What is it, Luna?" Drew held out his hand and the little girl slowly walked forwards and clasped it with her own tiny hand. "Shouldn't you be downstairs with the rest of the bridesmaids?"

Luna scowled. "I'm not a bridesmaid!" she protested. "I'm Mommy's flower girl!"

Drew smiled. "Of course, I'm sorry. Why are you up here, though?"

Luna shuffled her feet and wringed her hands. "Mommy told me to go talk to you." She sat down beside Drew, still holding his hand. She looked up at him again, and then down. "Uncle Drew, why d'you look so sad today?"

"Sad?"

"Yeah," murmured Luna. "I saw you downstairs with everyone. They had their family and girlfriends and boyfriends with them. But you just looked really sad, and lonely."

Drew gently squeezed Luna's hand. "You've known your Uncle Drew for seven years now, so you should know that I absolutely never get sad. Didn't you know that grown-ups are never sad?"

"That's not true!" exclaimed Luna. "Mommy looked sad today!"

"Your mother?" repeated Drew, frowning a bit. "What was the matter?"

"I don't know," mumbled Luna. "She introduced me to this tall man with long purple hair, and said that he was our new friend. She was smiling, and so was the purple man, but their eyes seemed really sad."

Drew froze. On the day of Luna's birth, Harley was released from jail for one day to meet his new daughter. On that day, he and Solidad decided it was best to keep the fact that Gary wasn't her father until she was old enough. Harley was never to be introduced as his daughter's father.

"Did you like him? The purple man?" asked Drew.

Luna nodded. "He's funny! But he got really sad after a little while. He started crying. Did I do something wrong?"

"No, he's just a bit silly, that's all," said Drew airily. He picked Luna up from the bed and set her back on the floor. "Let's go find your mother, yeah? The wedding's starting soon."

Luna wrapped her arm around Drew's and smiled up at him. "Okay!"

Drew looked down at her and saw that she truly was the spitting image of her mother, with her bright eyes and beaming smile. But her hair – she had her father's hair. Drew couldn't imagine how much it killed Harley to know that his daughter was being brought up by another man.

"Let's go." They left the room hand-in-hand, leaving Drew's unwritten speech on the table behind them, forgotten.

...

...

...

Drew was looking down at the little black box that held a very special ring when a hush fell over the wedding guests like heavy snowfall. He pocketed the box and turned around to see little Luna walking through the gates that led to where the wedding was taking place. She held a small basket of rose petals in her hands.

The wedding march began to play on a harp played by Ally's grandmother, and everyone stood up as Luna started to walk down the aisle, scattering petals behind her as she went. Everyone was so enthralled by her sheer adorableness that they didn't notice Solidad walk in at first. Drew turned away from Luna for a second to look at Gary, whose face had lit up. Drew turned around again and found himself staring at Solidad.

Her gently-curled red hair tumbled over her shoulders, clashing beautifully with her ivory skin. Her dress clung to her chest and hips before spreading like an angel's wings to the floor, hiding her feet from sight. She wasn't wearing a veil – she had told everyone from the start that she didn't want to wear one. "Veils are for girls who have something to hide," she had told Drew. "I have nothing to hide."

'You look beautiful, Solidad,' Drew thought to himself now. Solidad wore a small silver tiara embroidered with red rubies in her hair, and clutched a bouquet of scarlet roses in her white lace-gloved hands. She glided down the aisle, looking at no one but Gary. As she approached the front, the gates opened again and the bridesmaid came streaming through like a river of beauty. First came Ally, the maid of honour, wearing a scarlet dress embroidered with silver. She held a single red rose in her gloved hands.

Next came two girls in similar dresses. Drew didn't recognise them, but assumed that they were Solidad's cousins or childhood friends. They, too, looked beautiful.

The fourth and final bridesmaid was Annabelle. She wore the same dress as the other three, but her choppy hair and heavy eyeliner gave her such a wilder appearance. Madame Marie would have a heart attack if she could see her daughter now.

Annabelle followed the other three down the aisle, but the gate behind her didn't close. Drew frowned – the gate was supposed to close after the last bridesmaid came in. Why wasn't it closing? He turned to Gary for an explanation, and saw a devilish grin form on the groom's face.

Turning back around again, Drew saw someone else pass through the gates. Her chestnut hair cascaded down her back, and her sapphire eyes stared straight at Drew as she stepped along the aisle. As she came closer, Drew saw that what he had taken as a fascinator in her hair was actually a red bandana. A red bandana with a white Pokeball on it.

Drew wanted to leap onto his feet and pull May into his arms, but was too dumbstruck to do so. He sat in his seat with his mouth wide open in surprise instead.

'They knew!' he thought numbly to himself. 'They all knew she was coming!'

He slowly turned to Gary, wanting to hug him and punch him at the same time, but the vows had already started. He stared blankly ahead for a few minutes, before suddenly realising that everyone was staring at him. He jumped to his feet and quickly handed Gary his and Solidad's rings. Everyone laughed at his delay, and Drew sat down with his face flushed red.

For the rest of the vows, Drew didn't look up from his feet. He daren't look at May. He couldn't, or else he'd end up leaping up and making a mad fool of himself, thus ruining the wedding.

"You may now kiss the bride."

Gary, still bearing the devilish grin, pulled Solidad into his arms and passionately kissed her, with everyone standing on their feet to cheer. Drew slowly stood up but was still too shocked to clap. He watched as the wedding party left – Gary and his new wife, then Ally, then the two other girls, then Annabelle, and finally May. She didn't look at Drew as she slipped through the gates in a cascade of confetti.

The moment they were gone, the wedding was over. Drew tore through the crowd and confetti and was the first through the gates. The newly-married couple had already disappeared somewhere, but the bridesmaids all stood in a cluster in the pasture where the reception was to be held. They saw Drew staring at them, and scuttled away, leaving May alone in the pasture with Drew.

"Surprise," she said coyly, looking up at Drew. "Didn't expect that, did you? D'you like the bandana? I couldn't resist wearing it."

"I can't believe everyone knew but me," said Drew, shaking his head. "Everyone knew you'd be here but me!"

"That's what makes it a surprise," said May airily. She looked down. "Do... Do I look alright? I'm not too keen on the shape of this dress, but Solidad insisted that I –"

Drew kissed her before she could finish her sentence. May dropped her rose to the floor and wrapped her arms around Drew's neck.

"You look beautiful," breathed Drew, breaking away. "You. Solidad. Everything... Everything is so beautiful!"

"Calm down!" laughed May. "It's only been a few months since we last saw each other!"

"I was planning on visiting you tomorrow, actually," admitted Drew. He paused. "But I suppose I might as well do it now."

May frowned. "Do what? Kiss me? You've already done that, Drew. Are you becoming senile in your old age?"

Drew smirked at this. He flicked his hair before swiftly fell onto one knee. He pulled out the black box he had been looking at before the wedding started, and opened it.

May stared at the glittering sapphire ring that Drew held. "Oh," she said. Her eyes widened. "OH!"

"I think the ring makes it kinda obvious, but I'll ask anyway. May, will you marry me?"

There was a silence.

"Of course I will, you green-haired idiot."

Drew's face broke into a beam, and May started to laugh, although there were tears of happiness in her eyes. In his excitement, Drew dropped the ring to the ground, but neither he nor May cared. He pulled her into a tight embrace.

"I love you," he whispered. "So much." He pushed her away for a moment and held her at arm's length. "But if you call me a green-haired idiot one more time, we're getting a divorce. I don't care if love beats everything, or whatever. I do not enjoy hair-colour discrimination."

"Shut up, you green-haired idiot."

They stared at each other for a moment, and then laughed. May slipped her hand into his and held it tight, and it was at that moment they both knew that they would never let go again.

**_The End._**


End file.
